ABSML Chapter 57: Spectating

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ANNOUNCEMENT

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• Chapter 51-60
• Chapter 61-70
• Chapter 71-80
• Chapter 81-100

Chen Zhan returned the phone to Yin Ronglan, saying, "The problem you're studying is quite interesting."

Yin Ronglan briefly responded, "Just a sudden thought when I was bored."

"Oh?" Chen Zhan's tone was drawn out, and his gaze towards him became somewhat complex.

Yin Ronglan lowered his gaze slightly, looking both serious and focused.

Chen Zhan wasn’t fooled by this expression and decided not to dwell on the matter any further.

Just then, the buzzing sound of a phone vibrated at the perfect moment. Chen Zhan glanced down and was surprised to see an unexpected incoming call.

Yin Ronglan had been quite thankful for the call, but upon seeing the name "Lin Chiang" on the screen, his mood shifted, no longer as pleasant.

The call was brief, with Lin Chiang directly conveying his message for Chen Zhan to find a way to resolve the situation. He needed to go back to his room to sleep.

The last sentence sounded rather humble.

Yin Ronglan took a sip of water and asked, "Are you going to help him?"

Chen Zhan smiled lightly, "I can’t afford to offend him too much."

There was another thing he didn’t say—he also had something to ask Jiang Ying about.

After seeing that Jiang Ying had indeed put in some effort, Chen Zhan, having parted ways with Yin Ronglan, finally managed to get into a rest room through a few connections.

As soon as he entered, he saw long, wavy hair cascading down to her waist, exuding an alluring charm.

The woman was sitting with her back to him, slowly peeling an apple.

Hearing footsteps, she turned around, but didn’t put down the knife in her hand.

Chen Zhan stopped in his tracks.

"Are you here to speak on behalf of my fiancé?" Jiang Ying asked, her fingertips lightly rubbing the knife handle.

Chen Zhan took two steps back, thought for a moment, and then replied, "In diplomatic relations, we don't harm envoys."

Jiang Ying stared at him for a few seconds before putting the knife down.

Chen Zhan wasn’t naïve enough to start preaching some philosophical words. Lin Chiang had asked him to come, but it was mainly to give both sides a way out.

He pulled a chair and sat at least a meter away from Jiang Ying before continuing, "When I pursued you aggressively in the past..."

Before he could finish the first half of the sentence, Jiang Ying's gaze turned hostile.

Chen Zhan ignored it and went on, "Did I offend anyone because of that?"

Jiang Ying smiled mockingly.

Chen Zhan knew this question was pointless, so he narrowed it down: "Anyone who hated you to the core?"

The original owner had done so many reckless things that some memories had become blurred.

"There was a director who tried to spike my drink, and you broke his bones. Then there was a male actor who was getting too handsy on set, and you hired a private detective to expose his past scandals..."

Chen Zhan listened quietly, making a mental note of about seven or eight people.

Jiang Ying looked at him with an intriguing expression. "Has anyone caused you trouble?"

"Just suspicion."

Jiang Ying’s tone rose slightly. "A sixth sense?"

"Not entirely."

The system, cautious and fearful, had been coaxed into revealing that someone had been watching him from the shadows during the "Red Night" event.

He wrote down all the information and compared it with the memories he had. Afterward, he pretended to have something urgent and stood up to leave.

Jiang Ying smiled sweetly. "Safe travels, envoy."

Outside the door, someone was leaning against a car with their arms crossed, looking indifferent.

When Chen Zhan saw that it was Lin Chiang, he briefly considered taking another route. Unfortunately, Lin Chiang had already noticed him and didn’t give him a chance to slip away. "How did it go?"

Chen Zhan nodded slightly, indicating that the matter had been resolved.

Lin Chiang was about to step inside when he abruptly stopped in his tracks as they brushed past each other. "Kuei Kuei..."

Chen Zhan sighed in resignation. "Kuei Kuei is Jiang Ying. She was upset that I tricked you into believing I was some kind of fortune teller, so she decided to turn the tables on you."

"Seven points of resemblance..."

Chen Zhan sighed again. "Jiang Ying's makeup skills are nothing short of extraordinary." After a brief pause, he added, "Now, you should be at ease, right?"

Lin Chiang's expression was exceptionally complex, seemingly uncomforted by what had just been said.

Chen Zhan didn’t pay it much attention and walked away.

He continued thinking until he got on the bus.

Of the list of people, the one who had suffered the most was likely the male actor. The director worked behind the scenes, and no matter how much dirt he had on him, as long as he could attract investment and make a good film, his past would soon be forgotten.

The male actor was different—after Jiang Ying became famous, his past was dug up, and he gradually fell from the top tier of actors to the very bottom.

The ground in the neighborhood was very slippery, so Chen Zhan was extra cautious, walking carefully.

As he passed the trash bin, he saw a young man rummaging through it. Frowning, Chen Zhan said, "This area is contracted to someone."

The person he addressed froze for a moment and then chuckled wryly. "I was tossing my keys, and they accidentally landed in the trash."

"..."

What a peculiar habit.

Chen Zhan shook his head and walked straight ahead.

"Wait." The young man called out. "There’s so much stuff in here. Could you help me look for them?"

Chen Zhan turned to look at him, feeling a sense of caution. "Normal people wouldn’t ask for help like this."

The young man extended his red, frozen fingers. "It’s so cold. Look, whether you find them or not, I’ll pay you."

Just as Chen Zhan was about to refuse, a voice came from up ahead. "This is someone else's."

He looked up and saw the old man from across the street walking briskly toward them.

The young man looked shocked, staring at Chen Zhan in disbelief… So, the neighborhood’s trash bins were actually assigned to someone?

Chen Zhan remembered when he first came here, trying to make a bit of extra money by collecting bottles, only to be chased away by this old man. After a few words explaining the situation, and hearing that there was money involved, the old man quickly put on thick gloves and rummaged through the fruit peels, soon pulling out a set of keys.

The young man thanked them repeatedly and insisted on treating them to a meal.

The old man, needing to head to the recycling station, refused but nodded after receiving a subtle look from Chen Zhan.

If this had been a few days ago, Chen Zhan might have thought the young man was just being friendly and cheerful, but after seeing so much of Yin Ronglan’s performance, he was almost certain the young man had some purpose.

"My name’s Fang Jun," the young man introduced himself casually.

"Do you usually go online?" Chen Zhan asked.

Fang Jun looked puzzled. "Of course I do."

Chen Zhan raised an eyebrow. "Then you should know who I am."

Fang Jun’s smile quickly turned awkward. "I just returned to the country recently."

Chen Zhan didn’t probe further and just chatted casually.

At the restaurant, when Fang Jun was looking down to order, Chen Zhan took the opportunity to observe him more closely, confirming there was no previous encounter with this person.

Feeling something was off, Fang Jun looked up, and Chen Zhan quickly averted his gaze, calmly recommending the restaurant’s signature dishes.

The three of them ordered a full table of food.

During their conversation, Fang Jun revealed that he had recently bought a house in the neighborhood.

The old man frowned. "You can study abroad, so your family must be doing well. Why would you choose to buy a place here?"

"My family is fairly average," Fang Jun sighed. "I finished paying off my study loans, and with the little extra money I had, I decided to buy a house. It’s cheaper than renting."

The old man wanted to say more, but he noticed that Fang Jun's attention was mostly on Chen Zhan. He furrowed his brows.

He wanted to remind him, but Chen Zhan was acting oblivious, seemingly unaware of anything, and continued focusing on the delicious food in front of him.

After the meal, the two exchanged contact information.

In the following days, Fang Jun occasionally called, mostly asking about the current employment situation in China.

Investigating someone’s identity wasn’t easy—academic credentials and ID cards could be forged. For now, all Chen Zhan could do was go along with his pace.

Incidental meetings could happen once or a thousand times.

The next encounter took place in a club.

There were few places to go in winter. Although Y City had distinct seasons, building a ski resort was still a bit of a stretch.

The card Chen Zhan held was given to him by the boss when he endorsed a volcanic mud perfume. It had three thousand yuan that could be used for consumption. Unlike those out for fun, Chen Zhan was more interested in the gym facilities in the club.

Fang Jun happened to be coming out of the shooting range, and the two bumped into each other by the elevator.

Chen Zhan raised an eyebrow. "Out to have fun?"

Fang Jun smiled calmly. "I’m working."

Chen Zhan glanced at the time. Before Fang Jun could ask, he explained, "This place is open 24 hours. The shifts rotate every four hours."

The elevator reached the floor with the gym equipment, and Chen Zhan exited first.

The club was great at using holographic projection technology, with exaggerated lighting effects wherever you went. The gym area was a bit more normal, aside from the loud music; the overall atmosphere was much more comfortable.

After about ten minutes of exercise, Chen Zhan was distracted by some noise at the door. Looking up, he saw Fang Jun, now in his work uniform, being blocked at the entrance and being verbally harassed.

Fang Jun tried to sidestep, but the burly man took a step toward him, smirking maliciously, and his hands began to act improperly.

Fang Jun looked at him with a plea in his eyes, and though it felt like a melodramatic situation, Chen Zhan couldn’t turn a blind eye. He walked over.

By the treadmill, a young man was sweating profusely. He seemed uninterested in getting involved, grabbing his bottle and walking away.

No one knew that as soon as he exited the area, he began running faster, panting heavily, and called out several times for his dad.

The wealthy businessman seemed displeased. "What’s the rush?"

The young man swallowed hard. "There’s a good show to watch."

These two were the father and son Chen Zhan had accidentally met at the racetrack earlier. The young man had once wanted to learn the art of flattery to get ahead but was scared off by Chen Zhan's phrase "With the left, lead the yellow dog; with the right, support the green dragon."

Without saying much, the young man grabbed the businessman and dragged him toward the gym area. When they got there, they found that several other people had gathered around.

Naturally, the audience wasn’t limited to just the young man. When Yin Ronglan had tried to make friends, he had brought a whole group into his schemes. His "glorious" actions had already spread throughout the circle.

Seeing Chen Zhan being set up, people began calling their friends, eager to spread the word.

Fang Jun believed his plan was flawless. Even if Chen Zhan did inquire, all he would find out was that Fang Jun was just working here.

Who could have known that in just a few minutes, a crowd had gathered to watch.

Fang Jun didn’t understand where things had gone wrong. Normally, there were few people coming to the gym, and most of them were indifferent, avoiding trouble.

Whispers began to rise here and there: "Even though the brand label’s been cut off, that shirt is definitely custom-made."

"Someone's imitating Yin Ronglan, pretending to be poor to make friends!"

"Not just that! They're targeting the same person!"

Someone whispered, "Should we inform him?"

"I already sent a box of old pickled vegetable noodles. I’m sure he’ll get the hint."

Exchanging glances, they chuckled: "Someone’s imitating my face, and someone else is imitating my tricks."

_

Author’s Note: The hint Chen Zhan once gave is written as an acrostic in the novel.

Now, the hint given by the bystanders: a box of instant noodles, symbolizing someone imitating your methods.

Yin Ronglan: Can we just speak plainly for once?

_

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