ABSML Chapter 51: One Melon is Bigger Than Another
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ANNOUNCEMENT
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Snap!
Jiang Ying's chopping was a bit forceful, causing the celery to snap, with droplets of water splashing onto the cutting board.
"That's a very vivid metaphor," Jiang Ying smiled. "Go on."
Chen Zhan stopped at the right moment.
"Auntie likes you so much," Jiang Ying raised an elegant eyebrow. "Why not help me coax her into giving me the bracelet she'll pass down to her daughter-in-law?"
She was teasing, but Chen Zhan asked seriously, "Is it the gold bracelet carved with phoenixes?"
The sound of chopping suddenly grew louder.
"She showed it off once," Chen Zhan said calmly. "I heard it's a Lin family tradition to only give it away at the actual wedding."
After a moment of silence, Jiang Ying suddenly said, "If we were in ancient times, I'd definitely have my husband take you in as a concubine."
Caught off guard by this unexpected jest, Chen Zhan accidentally poured too much vinegar into the cold dish.
Ignoring this, Jiang Ying continued, "No competition over heirs, the husband wouldn’t be interested, and you could even help take care of the in-laws..."
A perfect arrangement.
Jiang Ying was a great cook. The two of them gradually stopped talking nonsense and worked in seamless coordination, soon preparing a rich lunch spread.
In the living room, Lin Chiang watched them walk out one after another—one still wearing an apron, the other carrying a dish. The scene was warm and harmonious.
For a moment, he was so exasperated he actually laughed.
Chen Zhan wasn’t one to overstay his welcome and claimed he had an appointment in the afternoon, excusing himself from lunch.
At the entrance, Lin Father and Lin Mother came to see him off. Lin Chiang stood reluctantly to the side, hands in his pockets.
Lin Father glanced at him, prompting Lin Chiang to adjust his posture slightly and stand up straight.
"He's leaving, at least say goodbye." Lin Mother chuckled. "Why are you sulking like a child?"
Lin Chiang waved half-heartedly and said with a blank expression, "You're welcome to visit again."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the back of his head got smacked.
·
Chen Zhan wasn’t lying—he had made dinner plans with Yin Ronglan days ago.
The "second meal at half price" deal was a curious thing—ordering extra felt wasteful, but skipping it felt like missing out.
That’s the importance of friends.
Compared to the luxurious De Ma Hotel Yin Ronglan booked last time to apologize, this dinner was considerably low-key.
Among Western dishes, Chen Zhan preferred pasta. Halfway through his meal, he casually shared some recent experiences.
Upon hearing about Chen Zhan honing his cooking skills at the Lin household, Yin Ronglan let out a slightly resigned smile. "Interesting approach."
When it was time to pay, Chen Zhan took the initiative and even gifted a keychain, grinning as he asked, "Touched?"
Yin Ronglan answered honestly, "It reminds me of the embroidery hanging on Grandpa’s door last year."
Chen Zhan’s smile froze briefly before he smoothly replied, "The market’s been rough lately, so I’m going to double up."
The popularity of his audio channel had dropped significantly after Confession concluded, and mastering cooking wasn’t something that could be done overnight.
Sensing that he had touched on something, Yin Ronglan asked, "Writing another book?"
"My Idolized Male Friend," Chen Zhan introduced. "No real names will be used, but it will be full of genuine emotions."
Their eyes met, and Yin Ronglan chuckled. "Think the trending topics will spare me?"
Chen Zhan nodded. "We have no business ties, and your identity isn’t easy to dig up."
Yin Ronglan nodded. "Alright."
His agreement was so swift and straightforward that Chen Zhan found it somewhat unsettling.
The only reason Yin Ronglan agreed was that he found it an eyesore to see Lin Chiang and Chen Zhan trending together. He wanted to replace a certain someone.
The release of the new book was quiet and unremarkable.
Under the book's synopsis, Chen Zhan added a note: Based on a true story. If there are any similarities... I highly doubt there will be.
Since he was working on two novels simultaneously, he worried that the writing styles might be too similar and confuse readers. Thus, the new book took a more straightforward, narrative approach rather than the exaggerated tone of his previous work:
...........
My name is Chen Zhan.
I once had an unattainable goddess and a billionaire rival.
But few people know that I also had a close friend.
Now, I want to tell the story of me and this legendary friend.
To protect his privacy, let’s call him Yin Ba.
Yin Ba is the CEO of a company, sitting on assets worth hundreds of billions.
He stands over 1.8 meters tall and has a handsome face.
Young, rich, and good-looking—yet his eyes lack any human warmth.
I, however, am different.
From the first day I met him, I was not intimidated by his powerful aura.
Who would have thought that my defiance piqued his interest? At that time, he was wearing an ordinary dress shirt, looking at me with amusement.
............
Previously, Chen Zhan had avoided detailed character descriptions. This time, he deliberately added more intricate details. Yin Ronglan, who usually appeared non-threatening while scheming behind a gentle smile, was portrayed in the novel as a dominant CEO-type.
NJ Star Website, a platform primarily catering to female readers, still had a strong market for comedic CEO tropes.
Chen Zhan updated two chapters per day, vividly narrating an incident at a horse ranch and the heroic moment when his protagonist fought off robbers.
Both humor and dominance went hand in hand. To make the character more memorable, he hired an illustrator to create numerous character artworks, which rapidly boosted the novel’s popularity.
Everything was gradually falling into place.
Then, a week after Valentine’s Day, things took an unexpected turn.
Although Confessions still lingered on the subscription rankings after its completion, it had already dropped to fourth place.
Yet, one night, it suddenly climbed back to the top—both in rewards and subscriptions.
The numbers were so unusual that any industry expert could see something was off.
His editor contacted him immediately, subtly hinting that the subscription and collection rates seemed abnormal.
Sitting in his room, Chen Zhan couldn’t figure out the reason.
It wasn’t until a persistent knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. He got up and opened the door.
The first thing he saw was a takeout bag slightly lifted in greeting. Yin Ronglan smiled. "I figured you hadn’t had dinner."
Chen Zhan let him in. As he turned back toward his computer, he sighed. "What an unlucky streak."
Yin Ronglan had overheard some employees chatting during lunch break and asked if Chen Zhan had offended anyone lately.
Chen Zhan shook his head. "Xiao Tong has been blacklisted by her company and can’t stir up trouble. Chen Ru just got discharged from the hospital." After a pause, he added, "Besides, they both avoid me like the plague now."
Yin Ronglan pointed at the food on the table, indicating that eating was more important.
Chen Zhan absentmindedly picked up his chopsticks. "Maybe I got in someone's way."
After the New Year, he had been trending too often. For those trying to gain exposure, his presence was indeed an obstacle.
At the moment, Weibo wasn’t too bad—the real chaos was happening on the forums:
[I always thought his popularity was suspicious.]
["Honestly, by now, Chen Zhan doesn’t need to buy subscriptions."]
["Just this morning, he got so many rewards that the webpage nearly crashed."]
Some people defended him, some were jealous, and others spun conspiracy theories.
Just as Chen Zhan debated whether to suppress the topic on Weibo, the website actually did crash due to the flood of rewards.
The situation escalated at lightning speed and exploded into a trending discussion on Weibo.
In many cases, suppressing public opinion didn’t work online—ignoring it would only allow further speculation. If he didn’t guide the narrative, the backlash could snowball out of control.
Chen Zhan glanced at Yin Ronglan and sighed half-jokingly. "Looks like I’ll have to visit the police station."
Yin Ronglan nodded. "The timing is too suspicious. If you don’t handle this well, people will accuse you of stirring up drama to promote your new novel."
Whether they could track down the culprit was another matter, but at the very least, he had to show a clear stance—otherwise, it would seem like he had something to hide.
NJ Star Website had already received numerous reports accusing him of data manipulation. The reports were still under review, but Chen Zhan was sure they would eventually find discrepancies.
By the time they finished eating, it was late. Chen Zhan posted on Weibo:
"I’ll report this to the police tomorrow. The truth will prevail."
Many were eager for gossip, and comments flooded in—some in support, some skeptical. Chen Zhan didn’t bother reading them further.
As expected, the topic remained trending the next morning.
A heavy snowfall had fallen overnight, and Yin Ronglan arrived early to pick him up.
"The bus stop is crowded. I’ll drive you."
Chen Zhan glanced out the window and nodded.
Despite the efforts of early-morning street cleaners, the road conditions were still poor, so Yin Ronglan drove cautiously.
Glancing at Chen Zhan, he suddenly asked, "Can we change my alias?"
The first time he saw the novel, he had nearly knocked over a bottle of red wine.
"I originally wanted to name you Xuanyuan Yinba," Chen Zhan said earnestly.
Yin Ronglan’s eyelid twitched. "Let’s not."
Strangely, aside from Xiao Zhao, none of the company employees had connected the novel’s protagonist to him—probably because their personalities were too different.
Halfway to the station, they hit traffic. The car’s heater filled the cabin with warmth, making it easy to doze off. Chen Zhan leaned his head against the window, scrolling through his phone.
Gradually, his brows furrowed.
Even during the peak of the data controversy, Yin Ronglan had never seen this kind of expression on his face. He couldn't help but ask, "What’s wrong?"
Chen Zhan looked incredulous. "Lin Chiang is actually speaking up for me?"
Yin Ronglan’s expression showed a hint of surprise.
The road ahead was completely jammed with cars, unable to move. Chen Zhan glanced at his screen.
Lin Chiang had directly replied under a sarcastic comment:
[It's perfectly normal for Confessions to make a comeback. Do you really need to be so bitter?]
Below, a crowd of users applauded, claiming that it was time for the annual gossip fest:
["The late-night meeting of the three people last year still remains a mystery. I wonder if there will be more juicy drama this year."]
["Looking forward to it."]
["Looking forward +1."]
Chen Zhan frowned. "What exactly is he thinking?"
The traffic finally moved a little, but Yin Ronglan’s heart did not ease in the slightest. He said flatly, "He’s trying to corrupt your mind."
Chen Zhan thought he was joking and curled his lips in amusement.
After advancing about 200 meters, the road was blocked again.
Outside, someone was honking furiously in frustration, making people feel irritated.
Chen Zhan sighed, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone, only to find that Weibo was lagging.
After several attempts, he finally managed to refresh the feed.
A new trending topic labeled ‘Explosive’ was "Beside the Pond’s Willow Tree."
Clicking on it, he found that Lin Chiang’s alt account had been exposed. Using alternate accounts to vent was common nowadays, so Chen Zhan felt it was an overreaction.
A netizen had compiled a large amount of evidence proving it was the same person—pinpointing locations through landscape photos and matching identical phone charms.
The details were overwhelming, so Chen Zhan only glanced at the first of the nine-grid images.
On a whim, he clicked into the Weibo account "Beside the Pond’s Willow Tree."
Upon seeing the posts from the past three days, Chen Zhan’s expression finally changed.
[February 18: On the reward ranking list, My Idolized Male Friend is ahead of Confessions! Unbelievable.]
[February 19: Hah, some people say that the protagonist Yin Ba is more attractive than the rich heir in Confessions.]
[February 20: Fans who claim the idol character is better—do you have a problem with your aesthetic? Just wait, Confessions will rise again!]
The last post had already surpassed 130,000 comments.
【Sing the World: "I think we just uncovered something big!!"】
【fg: "Is there really a protagonist ranking war between novels from the same author?"】
【Zhang Gong’s Meat Bun: "Ladies, I have a suspect in mind for the person paying to manipulate rankings."】
【Northern Beauty: "@Lin Chiang, this is his final act of defiance..."】
_____
Author’s Note:
A few months later:
Chen Zhan: *Dear readers, I sincerely apologize. Due to real-life reasons, My Idolized Male Friend has to be discontinued. Please check out my new project, The Years When the Male God Chased Me.
______
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