ABSML Chapter 7: The Rising Star

 Previous | Table of Contents | Next

People were actually buying it.

Yin Ronglan wasn’t the only one with this question—many viewers in the livestream chat were just as baffled.

【Sky Fire: Shocked!】

【Maria's Hair: I went in and it was already sold out!】

【Constantinople: Product is out of stock? What’s going on?】

【Your Little Sweetie: I just want to know… what’s the mindset of the people who actually bought it?!】

Chen Zhan remained calm. “I’m already in talks with the manufacturer to restock. Everyone, please be patient.”

He then flashed a charming smile, his eyes twinkling like peach blossoms. “Besides its functionality, this tea can also be a fun gift among friends. Or, if you don’t like someone, give them a bottle—implying: Are you out of your mind? Try drinking a bottle like Chen Zhan to cure it.”

This self-deprecating marketing strategy worked surprisingly well. The chat was soon flooded with “hahahaha” comments.

The livestream lasted only 40 minutes. Before signing off, Chen Zhan sincerely said, “Thank you all for your support today. I hope you’ll continue to support the Xiangxi brand.”

He waved, ending the stream.

After taking a sip of water and resting for a bit, Chen Zhan received a call from the manufacturer. They were ecstatic, even offering a long-term partnership. Once the call ended, he slowly tidied up before turning to Yin Ronglan. “Give me your bank account. Once the money comes in, I’ll transfer 8,000 yuan to you.”

Yin Ronglan had barely done anything, yet Chen Zhan was willing to share 8,000 yuan, which meant he must have earned tens of thousands from this stream.

Chen Zhan, noticing his thoughts, said lightly, “It was just good timing. Normally, manufacturers wouldn’t offer such rates.” He added, “Besides, I made a bet—if sales didn’t exceed 20,000, I wouldn’t take a single cent.”

Yin Ronglan quickly understood his strategy. “Yuanrui is also launching a new product.”

Yuanrui and Xiangxi had similar products, meaning fierce competition.

Chen Zhan opened Weibo. “Yuanrui hired a celebrity for endorsements, but right now, the livestream’s buzz is even higher.”

#Hate Someone? Give Them Xiangxi Green Tea!#

This hashtag shot to the top of the trending list.

A well-known influencer even shared it, joking: The power of Xiangxi is incredible! It has miraculously restored the mentally unstable Chen Zhan back to normal.

And just like that, Chen Zhan became a rising internet celebrity.

The manufacturer transferred the payment swiftly. After settling his rent, Chen Zhan still had money left over—enough to escape the life of penny-pinching for a while.

“System, check my reputation points.”

[System]: Please wait while I check for you.

The soft, delicate voice was completely different from before.

Chen Zhan raised an eyebrow. “Another system change?”

[System]: Your previous system said it learned a lot from you and decided to switch careers to business.

“…”

[System]: Congratulations! Your reputation points are now 250.

New task unlocked: Task 1 (Supporting Character’s Redemption): Sincerity moves hearts—write 10 apology letters to the female lead, Jiang Ying.

Chen Zhan hummed in acknowledgment, grabbed pen and paper, and began writing.

[System]: Wait—haven’t you always refused to do tasks?

Chen Zhan yawned, his peach blossom eyes misted over. “Doing it once in a while won’t hurt.”

[System]: No! I won’t allow it! You never did them before, and you shouldn’t start now!

Chen Zhan kept writing, unfazed. “Are you secretly a perfectionist?”

[System]: …Yes. So can you please…

“Nope.”

That night, the system went silent.

The next morning, after breakfast, Chen Zhan presented the ten completed letters. “Should I send them out?”

The system’s voice sounded weak. “I’ll give you 50 reputation points for free—just don’t send them.”

Chen Zhan touched the tip of his nose, pondering. “A good deal.”

Thus, a secret transaction was made.

After breakfast, Chen Zhan called Yin Ronglan. “Did you get home safely?”

There was a brief silence on the other end. “I left your place last night.”

It had already been a full night.

Chen Zhan: “A missing person report requires 48 hours to file. I’m just checking your safety at the 12-hour mark.”

“I’m safe.”

As soon as Yin Ronglan finished speaking, Chen Zhan said, “Good,” and immediately hung up.

Meeting Room

Several project managers exchanged glances. Judging from the situation, their CEO had been hung up on.

Who would dare to hang up first? Could it be his girlfriend?

After all, only a girlfriend would have such fearless audacity.

Yin Ronglan knew that Chen Zhan hadn’t fully let down his guard. In the past, he had mocked rich people who pretended to be poor, but now he found some amusement in it.

There was no denying it—Chen Zhan’s personality was truly one of a kind.

Meanwhile, the project managers, noticing that their boss seemed distracted, hurriedly sped up their reports, much like students trying to rush through a recitation to avoid being questioned.

Taking a deep breath, he finally finished speaking.

Yin Ronglan: “In half a month, it will be the peak travel season. What’s the point of running a promotional campaign now?”

The project manager’s face changed drastically. “I didn’t consider that properly.”

Yin Ronglan said calmly, “I’m afraid that’s not the only thing you didn’t consider properly.”

The project manager’s heart sank. He thought to himself, What’s meant to come will always come.

Yuanrui was just a newly acquired small brand, but the problem was that they had lost too miserably this time.

Yin Ronglan lifted his eyes slightly. “You spent 30 million to hire a celebrity, but the results weren’t even as good as a live-streamer?”

As he spoke, he glanced at the sales planner. The latter immediately sat upright, not trying to explain but admitting the mistake directly: “It was our misjudgment.”

They thought relying on a popular celebrity would guarantee success, but they were completely outmatched. The cost was more than a hundred times higher, yet the response they got was barely a ripple.

“No need to rush things.” Yin Ronglan said, “In three months, there’s the Boyue Expo. Find a way to become one of their sponsors.”

The sales planner immediately responded, “I’ll go find someone to negotiate right away.”

“You go in person. Don’t let any more mistakes happen.”

Yin Ronglan gave a few more detailed instructions. His expression remained mild, but those sitting close to him didn’t dare meet his gaze directly.

After the meeting ended, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He waved his hand, signaling that he wanted to stay in the meeting room for a bit longer. Only then did the others gradually leave.

Yin Ronglan didn’t stay alone for long. When he walked out, most of the team was still waiting for the elevator.

The project manager took the initiative to greet him, and Yin Ronglan nodded. Suddenly, he asked, “What do you think of Chen Zhan?”

The project manager replied, “The entire internet mocks him.” Then, with a dismissive tone, he added, “He seems to be writing some kind of memoir lately, just trying to grab attention. Anyone with a bit of sense wouldn’t read it. Rest assured, he’s just a fleeting trend. We’ll definitely make a strong comeback!”

At that moment, a male colleague who had just returned from the restroom saw that the elevator hadn’t arrived yet. He hurried over, catching his breath, and patted the project manager on the shoulder. “Confessions just got updated. I grabbed the first comment. If you hurry, you can still get the second.”

The project manager’s smile froze, and within seconds, his face completely collapsed.

The moment the male colleague finished speaking, the air seemed to still for a second. When he looked up, he noticed many colleagues staring at him with complicated expressions.

Confused, he accidentally locked eyes with Yin Ronglan.

Yin Ronglan’s lips twitched slightly. “Is the article good?”

Both the male colleague and the project manager were so frightened they nearly lost their souls.

“Uh… it’s okay,” the project manager didn’t dare speak. The male colleague, thick-skinned, gave a vague response.

With a soft ‘ding,’ the elevator doors opened.

To everyone except Yin Ronglan, it was as if salvation had arrived.

The project manager took a step back, making way. “After you, sir.”

The elevator had limited capacity, so many people chose to wait for the next one. As they watched the doors close slowly, the project manager turned around and grabbed the male colleague by the neck, looking fierce. “Explain—why did you set me up?”

The male colleague, still shaken, stubbornly said, “Employees have private lives. It’s not like I was reading smut. Don’t worry.”

The project manager gritted his teeth. “That guy is our marketing campaign’s arch-nemesis.”

The male colleague rubbed his nose guiltily. “Can’t help it, his writing is entertaining.”

Hearing that, the project manager forced a smile, but he didn’t loosen his grip. The others quickly intervened to comfort him. “Maybe even the boss follows the story.”

Though everyone knew full well that Yin Ronglan wouldn’t be so idle.

Yin Ronglan indeed hadn’t read Chen Zhan’s writing, but at this moment, he was a little intrigued—perhaps he’d take a look when he had some spare time.

Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed future literary genius Chen Zhan was sitting outside his home with a box of eggs, waiting for an old man to return from collecting scraps.

The moment the old man saw the gift box, he knew Chen Zhan had made some quick cash.

“Young people these days make money in ways I don’t understand.”

Borrowing a table from him had somehow turned into a fortune—impressive.

Chen Zhan shrugged. “I’m a potential stock.”

The old man opened the door and let him in. “Planning to keep doing those live streams?”

Chen Zhan shook his head, glancing at the gift box. “You shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

He didn’t stay long. Checking the time, he hurried home to write.

The collection count of Confessions was growing by triple digits daily, and the comment section had turned into a full-blown drama, sometimes even more exciting than the actual story.

【Maria’s Hair: Oh ho! I’m starting to ship Chen Zhan and Lin Chiang!】

【Peak of the World: Sis, are you okay?】

【Boatman Zhao San: Be kind, for we are all human!】

Chen Zhan skimmed through the comments. Though his story was only a few tens of thousands of words so far, there were already numerous fan-made spin-offs. He selected a few humorous ones that didn’t distort the characters and pinned them to make the comment section more lively and less chaotic.

Afterward, he checked his earnings and got back to writing—

..........

The next time I saw my goddess was on a brilliant afternoon.

Even though I already knew she had been spending time with that rich young heir lately, seeing it with my own eyes still hurt.

But today was a good day. The gods must have been on my side—they were arguing.

She seemed furious, yanking her hand away from her boyfriend’s grasp and driving off.

I took a deep breath, stepping out from my hidden spot into the open, wanting to witness this arrogant man’s look of defeat.

I saw him press his fingers against his brow, then walk to a nearby convenience store and buy an almost frozen bottle of water. He tossed a hundred yuan on the counter, didn’t wait for change, and left with a frown.

Right in front of me.

Again and again.

Man, remember—you forced me into this!

______

T/N: Please give support in my ko-fi page for more updates❤️❤️❤️