Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

When Shen Nian woke up, it was already bright daylight.

She stirred slightly, still half-asleep, and found herself curled up in Jiang Fan's arms.

Her arms were wrapped around his waist, and her legs were draped over his, like a koala.

"woke up?"

Jiang Fan's voice came from above.

Shen Nian didn't look up, and gave a muffled "hmm".

"What time is it?"

"7:30. Time to get up."

That's what she said, but Shen Nian didn't move. She rubbed her face against his chest, finding a more comfortable position.

Jiang Fan didn't urge her; he slipped his hand through her pajamas and gently rubbed her twice.

I lay there for a few more minutes.

Shen Nian slowly propped himself up, rubbed his eyes, and yawned.

-

The three of them ate breakfast and then headed to the airport.

The afterglow of "Double Happiness" is still lingering.

Zhou Yutong sat in the VIP waiting room, her fingers flying across her phone, occasionally letting out a gasp.

"Sister Nian, the clips from your live stream are going viral on short video platforms, with over 200 million views. Someone even gave you a nickname—'The Most Beautiful Ghost Bride'."

Shen Nian leaned back in her chair, her eyes closed. "What a terrible nickname."

"You're so popular! People are even imitating your look on the trending topics."

The plane landed in Shanghai at around 1 p.m.

Li Cheng drove a black Buick GL8 and parked it in the exit lane. He got in the car and started muttering to himself.

"Brother Fan, the studio's phone has been ringing off the hook today. A music program asked if Shen Nian wanted to go, Tencent Music wanted an exclusive interview, and three variety shows sent me invitations... I've put them all on hold and haven't agreed yet."

"Let's not go yet," Jiang Fan said, leaning back in the back seat. "Let her rest for a while."

The car first took Zhou Yutong and Shen Nian back to their apartment.

The car door closed, and Li Cheng restarted the car.

"Aren't you going back to rest?"

"Go to the studio."

Today is Sunday.

"I know."

Li Cheng glanced at him again in the rearview mirror, opened his mouth as if to speak, but ultimately didn't try to persuade him further.

-

3 PM, studio.

Jiang Fan locked himself in his office.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

My consciousness sank into the system, and a semi-transparent panel floated before my eyes.

[Remaining lifespan: 108 days]

Current lifespan: 47900 points

He opened the online store. He typed "Charlotte's Trouble" into the search bar.

[The complete script of "Goodbye Mr. Loser"]

[Required for exchange: 8000 Life Points]

confirm.

[Exchange successful. Remaining lifespan: 39900 points]

There's so much information!

Storyboarding, dialogue, pacing, background music, actor positioning—

It's all etched into my mind.

He opened his eyes, pulled over his notebook, and began to outline his work.

Act One: Charlotte gets drunk at the wedding and travels back to her high school days.

Act Two: Using "future memories" to pursue Qiu Ya, becoming a school bully, and gaining fame by plagiarizing songs.

Act Three: He discovers that his true love is Ma Dongmei, but everything has changed.

Act Four: The dream ends, and reality returns.

The structure is not complicated, but the jokes in every scene are perfectly timed.

The burden is buried deep, and it is turned over skillfully.

He stretched his wrists, turned to a new page, and began writing the first scene.

-

This writing took two days.

From the first scene to the last, not only are there basic dialogues, but even the blocking, lighting, and camera language are clearly marked.

Jiang Fan saved the file, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes for two seconds.

My back is very stiff, and my neck makes a cracking sound when I turn it.

I stood up and stretched a bit, and my stomach growled.

I just realized I haven't had dinner yet.

I was just about to order takeout when the phone rang.

The words "Su Yuyan" appeared on the screen.

"Where are you?" Su Yuyan's voice sounded quite energetic.

"Still in the studio."

"Have you got a meal yet?"

"No, I was just about to order takeout."

"Don't order anymore, I'm already on my way. Wait for me for ten minutes."

The phone hangs up.

Jiang Fan watched as his phone screen went dark.

If someone's treating, why not take it?

-

Ten minutes later, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class pulled up downstairs.

The car window rolled down, and Su Yuyan waved to him.

Jiang Fan opened the car door and got in.

A faint scent of rose perfume wafted through the car.

"Go to that place again?" Jiang Fan asked.

"Hmm. You don't look too well, I'll give you something nourishing."

The car merged into the traffic, and Su Yuyan drove steadily with one hand on the steering wheel.

Have you looked at the data for "Sigh"?

"I've seen it, third."

"Yes, it's still climbing. Someone in the comments section wrote a long essay of several thousand words analyzing the metaphors in the lyrics."

She smiled and said, "And your pen name is really popular now. Everyone on the forum is guessing who Fan Yu is."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A private room in a private restaurant.

After Su Yuyan ordered, she handed the menu to the waiter and turned to look at him.

Jiang Fan clearly hasn't had a good rest these past two days.

He had dark circles under his eyes, some stubble on his chin, and his shirt collar was open, giving him a listless and tired look.

"Where did you find a song like '囍'? I still feel like someone is standing next to my bed when I sleep."

"You're such a coward."

"I'm a girl. It's normal for girls to be afraid of this kind of thing."

Jiang Fan smiled, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

As the dishes were served one after another, Su Yuyan picked up a piece of pork belly and put it in his bowl.

"Eat more, you look terrible."

Jiang Fan looked down.

"What is this?"

Su Yuyan was stunned for a moment, and her face suddenly turned red.

"Why ask so many questions? Just eat."

The two ate quietly for a while.

Su Yuyan put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth.

"How's the script coming along?"

Jiang Fan looked up. "How did you know?"

"Li Cheng told me," she explained. "He called me and asked me to help him find a reliable director, only to find out that you had locked yourself in your room and written for two days."

"...This person really talks a lot."

"Don't blame him. He was really anxious, saying that you don't even have a team yet and you want to make a movie, and he was afraid you'd get ripped off."

Jiang Fan put the last piece of meat into his mouth without saying a word.

Su Yuyan looked at him and suddenly said, "I do know a director here."

"Who?"

"Ningyuan".

Jiang Fan paused his chewing motion for a moment.

He knew the name.

He won an award for an art film a couple of years ago, but then he had a falling out with the investors and disappeared for more than a year. Now he's basically unknown in the industry.

"He's been having a tough time lately," Su Yuyan continued. "I ran into him at dinner last time; he was drunk and said he wanted to make something, but nobody dared to hire him. Investors shake their heads as soon as they hear his name."

What type of games is he good at?

"It's a realistic film with a very steady narrative pace." Su Yuyan paused for a moment. "It should be good for comedy too. He directed a road movie before, where the humor didn't rely on dialogue, but on the misalignment of the characters' relationships. It was very sophisticated."

How did you meet him?

His wife is my senior in the martial arts school.

"..."

Jiang Fan placed his chopsticks on the rim of his bowl. "Would he be willing to take on a commercial comedy?"

"Are you sure you want to see him?"

Let's talk first.

Su Yuyan picked up her phone. "I'll send you his contact information, you can contact him directly. He has a terrible temper, but he's really good in bed."

Jiang Fan nodded. "Okay."

Su Yuyan sent the number and locked her phone.

Do you have any suitable roles in your script?

"You want to act too?"

"also?"

Jiang Fan realized he had let something slip and coughed.

"Um, we don't have that script yet. It's a low-budget project, we can't afford you."

Su Yuyan narrowed her eyes. "Did Xu Qingya tell you too?"

"no."

You're lying.

Why would I lie to you?

Su Yuyan snorted and picked up a piece of pork belly, taking a big bite.