ABSML Chapter 28: Seeking the Truth

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Unable to pretend they hadn’t seen him, an employee forced a bright smile: “Good morning, President.”

That one sentence silenced the previously lively group. They couldn’t help but wonder why their boss had been showing up in the cafeteria so frequently lately—before this, it was rare to even run into him in the company.

As they silently prayed for him not to approach, Yin Ronglan took a step forward and asked, “Is this seat taken?”

The employees stiffly shook their heads. One of them even rushed to pull out the chair for him. “Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome, of course.”

Strangely, although Yin Ronglan was always polite and never put on airs, for some reason, his mere presence made employees instinctively nervous.

Perhaps some people were just born with an overpowering aura.

“Xiangxi’s product placement in the game—you should be paying attention to that.”

His voice was mild, but the project manager immediately sat up straight. “We have already discussed it—”

Yin Ronglan gently shook his head, signaling that there was no need to explain further. They could make their own decisions.

The project manager suddenly regretted his decisions from six months ago. If only he hadn’t impulsively suggested acquiring Yuanrui, they wouldn’t be dealing with this endless series of unexpected troubles now.

Yin Ronglan slowly said, seeing their nervousness, "Your time after work is yours to manage. The company does not prohibit playing games."

The employees collectively breathed a sigh of relief, eager to finish their meals quickly and escape the tense atmosphere.

Among them was the newly promoted assistant to the president. As someone aware of the improper friendship between his superior and Chen Zhan, he spoke up immediately once most of the employees had left. "I'll have them put together a game strategy guide."

Yin Ronglan gave a slight nod and replied in a businesslike manner, "As soon as possible."

·

The design of both the serialized novel and the game script had put Chen Zhan through an intense workload in the first half of the month. Now that everything was running smoothly, he finally had time to breathe again.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ying's movie had finished filming and was scheduled for release in January of the following year. As the year was coming to an end, news about her had suddenly surged online—likely due to the upcoming release.

Chen Zhan scrolled through the various headlines, astonished by netizens’ vivid imaginations.

Halfway through, he lost interest entirely and turned back to work.

...........

Confessions – Chapter 32:

The plan to hide the diamond ring had failed, making it nearly impossible to prevent that rich young master from proposing.

I had to think of another plan.

To reach for the stars and moon, one must first be close to the water.

Since my proximity to the goddess was no match for that young master, my only option was to act first… I had to propose before he did.

A proposal is a strategic operation.

I quickly spent money to create hundreds of fake accounts online to expose the goddess’s flaws. Once the wave of criticism started, nothing could stop it. Even marketing accounts had to acknowledge my abilities. Based on her schedule, I waited by the river in the forest park early in the morning, ready to ambush her during her jog.

"You again?"

Three words proved that she remembered me.

I was secretly delighted and immediately pulled out screenshots of the hundreds of fake accounts criticizing her. Then, I took out my prepared speech and read it verbatim:

"You have at least ten kissing scenes a year, eight of which use camera angles, and two are real; you have thirty-two hugging scenes; you’ve said ‘I love you’ to eight different male actors—according to high society… you're tainted. You come from a poor background, have limited education, and an average cultural literacy—according to high society, you are unworthy..."

As I watched her face darken, I thought to myself: This time, it's a sure win… First suppress, then elevate—I've suppressed enough, now it's time to lift her up!

"However—" I deliberately raised my voice. "Despite these flaws, you—"

Before I could finish, I was kicked into the artificial lake.

"Help… help!"

She stood on the shore, the green trees casting shadows over her delicate skin. "Stop flailing, the water is less than a meter deep."

My panic gradually faded.

Looking at her, I continued my unfinished proposal, "However—"

With my slightly hoarse voice, she bent down, picked up a large rock from beneath a tree, and lifted it high over her head.

I shuddered.

Smash!

The rock was violently slammed onto the shore, shattering into several pieces.

"If you dare spout nonsense again…" She smiled, pure and flawless. "You will end up like this rock."

..........

After completing the day’s update, Chen Zhan also wrote a few different game side quests and sent them to the two brothers, planning for a game update by next Friday.

Due to Jiang Ying’s current popularity, Confessions was immediately pushed to the trending list upon release.

【ElvenXiaoqi: This is the most understated yet outrageously theatrical proposal I've ever seen in my life.】

【GoldenClock: From a rational perspective, this breaks away from traditional roses and candlelit dinners. The method is innovative and worth learning from.】

【YHML: That’s right, this is the best way to propose. Everyone, take notes.】

【HappyFamily: ...Terrifying. Now single people will go to any lengths to make sure others stay single too.】

【GoldenClock: How dare you expose our scheme? @HappyFamily, you're done for.】

【ElvenXiaoqi: +1.】

…

【Heaven and Earth: +999】

Just as Chen Zhan was about to reply to a comment or two, the sky outside suddenly turned red. He temporarily set aside his work and walked to the window to admire the unusual sunset. Unfortunately, nature was not on his side—before long, night fell.

Such a rapidly changing sky seemed to signal an impending heavy downpour.

Half an hour later, the rain had yet to arrive, but an uninvited guest came instead.

Opening the door, he was immediately met with the faint scent of alcohol.

Chen Zhan stared at him expressionlessly for a few seconds before retrieving a mop from inside. "If you're here to get drunk and cause trouble, I don't mind knocking you sober with one hit."

Lin Chiang’s suit jacket was nowhere to be seen. Dressed in only a white dress shirt and suit pants, his tousled hair gave him a restrained and forbidding aura.

He pushed past him and entered as if he were the owner of the place. A cold, mocking smile appeared on his face. "What, are you here to laugh at me too?"

Chen Zhan glanced at the tie around his neck, contemplating how likely he could choke him into sobriety with one firm pull. Considering their difference in combat abilities, he reluctantly abandoned the thought.

"Explain from start to finish," Chen Zhan tossed the mop aside and calmly took out a sewing kit from a drawer, holding a needle between his fingers as he turned his back on him. "Keep it under 100 words."

"Just like in your writing," Lin Chiang sneered. "Only less exaggerated."

Chen Zhan summarized the key point: "You looked down on her."

Lin Chiang fell silent for a moment and pulled off his tie.

Before he could rush at him to strangle him, Chen Zhan wisely shut his mouth.

"I don’t actually care," Lin Chiang’s gaze turned momentarily distant. "The one who truly can’t let go… is her."

These days, rumors had been swirling like wildfire, many suggesting that the award-winning actress and her fiancé were at odds. Chen Zhan had initially dismissed them, marveling at the creativity of online gossip. But now, it seemed some of those rumors might actually hold weight.

Lin Chiang: “Her main focus this year has been on the big screen, and she even turned down quite a few invitations.”

This wasn’t hard to understand.

As an actress, completely avoiding physical contact was unrealistic. Lin Chiang’s parents had an open-minded attitude, but to say they didn’t mind at all would be a lie.

The world treats everyone the same— even a Best Actress isn’t exempt from mother-in-law problems.

Chen Zhan had no interest in offering free emotional counseling. “You still have forty-two words left.”

Lin Chiang: “My parents never mention it, but she can sense it.” He let out a light sigh. “When she feels sad, I feel awful too.”

“Oh.” Chen Zhan’s tone was indifferent. “And what does that have to do with me?”

Lin Chiang turned his face to look at him and simply said four words: “Your article.”

Chen Zhan stood still for a few seconds, thinking. Was he blaming him for stirring up his emotions?

It wasn’t easy to sober up a drunk person. It took until nearly midnight, when a cup of cold tea finally woke up the wealthy young master, who was still mumbling ‘If she’s sad, I’m sad’. Then, he was promptly thrown out: “Get lost, love saint.”

Having lost half a night’s sleep, Chen Zhan frowned as he got into bed. Twenty minutes later, just as he was drifting off, urgent knocking sounded at the door.

Last time, he answered the door holding a mop. This time, he first walked to the kitchen and stood there for several seconds before suppressing the impulse to grab a knife.

The face behind the door wasn’t the familiar cold one, and instead of the scent of alcohol, a faint perfume wafted in.

The visitor removed her sunglasses. “Where is he?”

Chen Zhan leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “I’m more curious about how you found this place.”

“GPS.” Jiang Ying’s gaze landed on the phone sitting on a stool inside the room.

Only then did Chen Zhan realize that Lin Chiang had left his phone behind.

Jiang Ying’s eyes continued to roam, eventually sweeping toward the bathroom. “Murder and dismemb—”

Before she could utter the more terrifying part of the phrase, Chen Zhan proactively opened the bathroom door, revealing nothing but emptiness—not even a hint of steam.

“Apologies, aftereffects from my last film.”

It was much more pleasant talking to a sober person, especially after dealing with a drunk one. Chen Zhan stepped aside to invite her in. “Tea?”

Jiang Ying shook her head, hesitating slightly before asking, “Why did he come here?”

Chen Zhan responded flatly, “Reader’s aftereffects.”

The latest chapter had trended on social media, so Jiang Ying had naturally heard about it. She pressed her fair fingers lightly against her temple as if recalling something, then curled her lips. “Who would’ve thought your words would turn out to be prophetic?”

Chen Zhan raised an eyebrow. “From what I know, you get along well with Lin Chiang’s parents.”

“It’s fine,” Jiang Ying said with a hint of melancholy. “The problem is that they’re too nice to me.”

If they had been like those in TV dramas—strongly opposing her career—at least she’d have had a reason to resist. But they never brought it up and instead showed her constant care, making her feel uneasy, even guilty.

She glanced at Chen Zhan. “No parent can truly remain unaffected while watching their daughter-in-law act out intimate scenes with other actors.”

    [System: Good thing, as the villainous supporting character, our host has the racial advantage of being an orphan.]

Chen Zhan scoffed lightly, his lowered eyelids concealing his thoughts.

Once he’d thoroughly buried his own unpleasant past, he finally focused on Jiang Ying for the first time since she’d entered the room.

“No offense, but your disguise is mediocre. If a reporter spots you, there could be trouble.”

Realizing her mistake—she’d been too anxious to find Lin Chiang and had committed a rookie error—Jiang Ying hurriedly put her mask back on and left in a hurry.

At night, media cameras were often even denser than neon lights.

Jiang Ying’s visit to Chen Zhan still got caught on camera. Fortunately, since Chen Zhan hadn’t drawn the curtains that evening, the photos only showed them sitting across from each other, followed by Jiang Ying leaving.

Even so, the news headlines were as exaggerated as ever:

“Best Actress’ Secret Late-Night Meeting with Former Anti-Fan.”

Jiang Ying didn’t rush to clarify but instead drove straight to the Lin residence.

Explaining to her future in-laws why she had been alone with a stranger was a headache-inducing matter. She mulled over it the entire drive and unconsciously pulled into the driveway.

Sighing, she stepped inside.

The luxurious mansion was eerily silent that night.

The sound of the door creaking open was loud enough to startle the birds perched in the trees outside.

Lin Chiang was home too, standing with his head lowered in silence. His parents sat in their chairs, and his mother’s eyes held a sharpness Jiang Ying had never seen before.

“Madam,” Jiang Ying called softly.

Unexpectedly, instead of directing that sharpness at her, Lin’s mother took Jiang Ying’s hand. “You’ve had a hard time.”

“…”

Lin Chiang spoke up. “I already said this is a misunderstanding.”

Lin’s mother ignored him and gently told Jiang Ying, “Don’t worry. If it’s true—”

“How could it be true?” Lin Chiang interrupted impatiently.

“Shut up!” Lin’s father reprimanded.

Not quite sure what was going on, Jiang Ying hesitated and said, “Excuse me, may I use the restroom?”

Naturally, no one stopped her.

Once inside and with the door locked, Jiang Ying immediately pulled out her phone.

The previous sensational headline had already been replaced with a new target:

“Breaking News! Lin Corporation’s CEO Caught Leaning Lovingly on Chen Zhan’s Shoulder Late at Night!”

“Two-Timing? Secret Meeting with CEO’s Fiancée in the First Half of the Night, Intimate Moment with the CEO in the Second Half?”

The headlines were dramatic, but the truth was simple—Chen Zhan had only helped steady the swaying Lin Chiang and poured him a glass of cold water.

However, the unscrupulous media outlet that filmed it deliberately cut out the full video, choosing only a few misleading frames to stir up speculation.

The trending headlines on the internet change rapidly, and gossip-loving netizens swarm in:

 【King of the dog: Sort out the timeline, so it is actually Lin Chiang who cheated first. Jiang Ying caught the rape late at night? 】

【Maria’s hair: Mom, the child’s CP has come true. 】

【Chachacha: Realistically, Lin Chiang can’t be curved at all. Whoever catches the rape7 will be so peaceful?】

In the known video, Jiang Ying is just talking face to face with Chen Zhan, and the whole process is calm.

【King of the Earth Dog: Looking carefully at the photos, Chen Zhan is standing by the window, confirming that Jiang Ying has walked safely on the road before closing the window. Damn, it’s so sweet! 】

【The sun rises from the west: Ahhhhh! So who on earth is the CP? I don’t know the truth, I can’t sleep at all tonight! 】

Within just an hour, the comment count skyrocketed to a hundred thousand, with the main theme being: The entertainment industry is a mess.

Most netizens agreed:

The drama is so big, one person alone can't digest it all!!!

Author’s Note:

Lin Chiang: That night, I just had a drink.

Jiang Ying: That night, I was simply worried about my fiancé’s whereabouts.

Chen Zhan: ...That night, I stayed home and did nothing.

_____

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