ABSML Chapter 9: Injury

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The project manager’s mind was racing, but he didn’t dare ask any more questions.


“You did well with the sponsorship deal.” Yin Ronglan gave a rare word of praise.


Even after he walked away, the project manager remained in a daze, unable to understand why the president would commend him over such a minor matter—especially when it was merely damage control.


“Could he really be in love?”


So merciful!


He muttered to himself before shaking his head. A female colleague behind him remarked meaningfully, “Rather than believing the president has fallen in love, it’s more plausible to think he’s started practicing Buddhism.”


At this, most of the team nodded in agreement.


“I don’t know what you’re all so happy about.” A colleague, who had been quietly working the whole time, looked up and swept a cold gaze around the room. “Think about it—our boss has always been a calculating man, and now he’s adding a facade of benevolence on top of that…”


Before the words were even finished, everyone shivered in unison.


Yin Ronglan had no idea about his subordinates' wild speculations. Sitting in his spacious office, he stared at his endlessly ringing phone. Acting on impulse, he declined the incoming call and instead dialed Chen Zhan.


The voice on the other end carried a hint of laziness. “Hello?”


Yin Ronglan, rarely one to act on a whim, leaned back slightly in his chair and asked in a calm tone, “Want to go mountain climbing again this weekend?”


There was a brief silence before a tactful response came: “I’ve already decided to get a gym membership.”


Hearing the trace of lingering fear in Chen Zhan’s voice, Yin Ronglan’s lips curved into a faint smile. “If you change your mind, let me know anytime.”


“Alright.” The reply was crisp and without hesitation—but it was obvious he was just being perfunctory.


Yin Ronglan didn’t mind and hung up after exchanging a few more words.


Originally still a bit drowsy, Chen Zhan felt fully awake after the call.


Having interacted with Yin Ronglan a few times, he could tell that the man wasn’t much of a talker. They had just spoken last night, and today’s call was completely unnecessary.


With water droplets still dripping from his hair, he looked at himself in the mirror. His peach blossom eyes could shift between affectionate and cold, his nose was high-bridged, and his skin was fairer than that of a movie star. Chen Zhan came to a conclusion:


—Unbelievable. He has a crush on me.


Three minutes later, amused by his own joke, he let out a soft chuckle. Returning to his usual expression, he changed clothes and prepared to go grocery shopping.


A black luxury car was parked at the entrance. Even someone unfamiliar with cars could tell it was high-end, completely out of place in the neighborhood.


At that moment, the car window rolled down slowly, revealing a man in the driver’s seat with an icy demeanor. He gave Chen Zhan a quick glance. “Get in.”


This was the first time Chen Zhan had seen the male lead since arriving in this world. Even when the original host was on the verge of madness and his mind was muddled by hardship, Lin Chiang’s face had remained vivid in his memory—proof of his deep resentment.


But now that the original consciousness had disappeared, Chen Zhan felt no emotional turbulence facing Lin Chiang. He calmly sat in the passenger seat.


“Buckle up.” The car’s warning beeped incessantly, and Lin Chiang frowned impatiently.


After Chen Zhan fastened his seatbelt, Lin Chiang reversed out of the parking spot. His gaze flickered under the dappled light. “Quite a change.”


Chen Zhan chuckled, recognizing the hidden sarcasm. He turned to look at him. “For you to reach that conclusion, you must have known me very well before.”


Lin Chiang didn’t actually know much about Chen Zhan. What he had seen was merely an exaggerated fragment of the original host.


Ignoring the wordplay, Lin Chiang silently drove out of the neighborhood and onto a broad, smooth road.


Watching the trees flash past outside the window, Chen Zhan said blandly, “I hope your destination is somewhere near a bus stop.”


He wasn’t willing to spend money on a taxi ride back.


The car eventually stopped in front of a café. Chen Zhan noticed a high-end restaurant next door. Before Lin Chiang could say anything, he got out of the car and walked straight towards the restaurant without looking back.


Lin Chiang entered the restaurant, his expression cold. Looking at Chen Zhan, already seated by the floor-to-ceiling window, he remarked, “Are you really that desperate for food and drink?”


Exercising the virtue of honesty, Chen Zhan nodded slightly.


Lin Chiang sat down across from him as Chen Zhan perused the menu, quietly waiting for him to speak.


“I’m here to talk about your novel,” Lin Chiang got straight to the point. Chen Zhan, unsurprised, had already guessed today’s topic.


After ordering a few dishes to his liking, Chen Zhan sat up straight and responded calmly, “My autobiography follows a realistic style. I didn’t deliberately defame anyone.”


The waiter brought two glasses of lemon water. Chen Zhan took a sip and continued, “Of course, if you have any concerns, Mr. Lin, you’re welcome to hire a lawyer to protect your rights.”


Lin Chiang had no interest in debating semantics. He knew full well that Chen Zhan wasn’t just putting on a show of composure. Even if he did get a lawyer involved, it wouldn’t help.


“You’re free to write whatever you want,” Lin Chiang’s gaze carried a warning. “Just don’t fixate on a few specific characters.”


So far, Confessions had fewer than ten chapters, yet two entire chapters had been dedicated to making fun of his refusal to give small change.


Chen Zhan seemed to catch his implication, and a trace of embarrassment flickered across his face. “Well, I was stuck with writer’s block.”


A bad feeling crept into Lin Chiang’s mind. Did this mean that every time Chen Zhan was stuck, he would use him as filler content?


Chen Zhan smiled, his peach blossom eyes narrowing amicably.


Just as Lin Chiang was about to press the issue, the dishes started arriving. Chen Zhan’s attention shifted almost instantly. Though he didn’t show it outwardly, his gaze remained focused on the food.


Taking a bite, he ate at a measured pace. When he looked up, his eyes met Lin Chi’ang’s. “Writing isn’t easy. To be honest, aside from you and Jiang Ying, I don’t really have any other interesting material.”


Lin Chiang spoke in a low tone. “A normal man would focus on his muse.”


Chen Zhan put down his chopsticks. “Are you trying to abandon your girlfriend and escape alone?”


Lin Chiang wasn’t worried that Chen Zhan would write an outright defamatory piece about Jiang Ying. If he did, the lawyer’s letter wouldn’t even need to be sent before Jiang Ying’s fans drowned him in scorn.


“This is just a friendly reminder.”


“I’ll consider it.” After a brief pause, Chen Zhan gave a vague response. Before Lin Chiang could start eating, he called the waiter to pack up the remaining food.


Lin Chiang didn’t mind his frugality. His purpose for coming had already been half-achieved, so when Chen Zhan pushed back his chair to leave, he didn’t stop him.


The next day, when Lin Chiang didn’t see his name trending, he actually felt a rare sense of relief. But that feeling didn’t last long—he soon received a message from his family, repeatedly emphasizing the principle that a gentleman uses words, not fists.


Puzzled, he checked the trending topics. The number one spot was #NeverHitAWriter’sHand#.


The first image was a blurry shot taken by a passerby, showing Chen Zhan leaving a hospital with his arm in a cast, carrying medicine in the other hand.


Another set of nine-grid photos came from an entertainment account, showing images from their lunch the day before.


The comment section had already surpassed 25,000 replies.


【Jiangbei’s Finest: I don’t even like Chen Zhan, but you never hit a writer’s hand! I’m crying as a humble reader!】


【E.K. Vivian: Question: Why not hit his face instead? How’s he supposed to type now?】


【Orient Express: @Jiang Ying, talk to your boyfriend. Anything below the face and arms is fair game. Break a phantom limb if you must—just don’t ruin his ability to write.】



Unexpected comments flooded the thread. Lin Chiang noticed a few missed calls on his phone—probably people trying to verify the truth.


Switching off his phone, he analyzed the situation:


First, Chen Zhan’s hospital visit was real. Regardless of severity, he was indeed injured. Second, yesterday’s visit to his neighborhood had been unplanned, and throughout the entire meeting, he hadn’t seen Chen Zhan use his phone. The leaked pictures were unlikely to have come from him.


However, this matter was inexplicably pinned on him.


Using the landline, Lin Chiang dialed a string of numbers and instructed, “Find a way to get Chen Zhan’s private number and send it to my phone.”


Chen Zhan had previously associated with some shady people, so the task was completed quickly. Less than ten minutes later, Lin Chiang’s phone flashed.


“Explain.”


As soon as the call connected, Lin Chiang’s tone was less than pleasant.


Chen Zhan responded calmly, “I’ve already explained the reason on Weibo.”


After hanging up, Lin Chiang checked Weibo and clicked on the trending topic ranked tenth. The timestamp showed it was posted eight minutes ago—Chen Zhan had indeed made a statement:


【"Thank you all for your concern. I want to clarify that my injury has nothing to do with anyone else. I was taking a shortcut home, slipped in an alley, and fell. My arm got sprained because I was trying to protect the food I was carrying. Please stop making strange assumptions."】


The tone was serious, but the comments were completely off the rails:


"Got it, translation: ambushed in a dark alley with no surveillance and beaten up in a sack."

"Karma. After all the bad things he’s done, he deserved it. I fully support President Lin."

"I don’t care about the backstory, I just want to know when the author can update the novel."

"If he can post on Weibo, does that mean he can type one-handed?"


Scrolling further down, the comments became even more absurd.


His phone buzzed again—Chen Zhan was calling back.


“I had a meal with you, and right after that, my arm got injured. It’s natural for people to misunderstand.”


After a slight pause, Chen Zhan continued, “But it’s just a temporary frenzy. You can have someone take down the trending topic.”


That last sentence sounded reasonable—Lin Chi’ang tapped his finger on the desk. It was obvious Chen Zhan didn’t want to be in the spotlight for this and was calling him to foot the bill to suppress the news.


Lin Chiang smirked mockingly, just about to speak, when he heard a muffled grunt from the other end.


His brows furrowed. “What the hell are you yelling for?”


A pained voice replied, “I wasn’t paying attention while going to the bathroom and twisted my ankle.”


Lin Chiang’s expression darkened immediately. He could already foresee tomorrow’s trending topic: #BrokenArmBrokenLeg#.


And the headline: After being exposed for his violence, President Lin, in a fit of rage, broke Chen Zhan’s leg too!


On the other end, Chen Zhan seemed to have the same thought and let out a small laugh before speaking first: “Don’t worry, I’ll issue another statement to clarify that you had nothing to do with it.”


Because it was a phone call, Chen Zhan couldn’t see Lin Chiang’s expression, only hear his stern warning: “Stay where you are. Don’t post anything. Don’t move. I’ll send someone over right now.”


Author’s Note:


Faced with online suspicions—

Lin Chiang (through gritted teeth): The injury is on your body, but the pain is in my heart!

Absolutely cannot let anyone know his leg is hurt.


______

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