Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

The two stared at each other for a long while.

Ning Yuan burned the cigarette filter in his mouth, scalding his finger.

"I need to be involved in the entire actor audition process."

"Can."

"I'll set the filming schedule."

"It must be released by the end of the year."

"Payment—"

"Read the second half of the book first, then we can talk about your pay."

Ning Yuan's words were cut off.

He opened his mouth, only to find that he had no chips in his hand.

He had only read half of the script; the second half was locked in someone else's drawer, and he didn't even know how the story ended.

What a load of rubbish.

Lin Wan stood to the side, holding a fruit platter, watching the commotion with a smile on her face.

Ning Yuan grabbed a handful of hair in frustration.

"Alright. I'll go to your company tomorrow to read the second half of the book."

"You're welcome anytime."

Jiang Fan pushed the business card onto the coffee table.

Ning Yuan snorted, picked up the business card, tucked it into the middle of the stack of scripts, and slapped it on the sofa armrest.

"Don't think I'm being manipulated by your lame tricks. I'm just a little curious about what happens next."

"understand."

Lin Wan couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. Ning Yuan turned around and glared at her.

Su Yuyan stood up and patted off non-existent dust from her trouser legs.

"It's settled then. See you tomorrow, Lao Ning."

Ning Yuan did not get up to see them off.

Lin Wan escorted him to the courtyard gate, took Su Yuyan's hand, and whispered, "He probably won't be able to sleep tonight."

-

The three people got into the car.

Li Cheng started the engine and reversed the car out of the alley.

After turning onto the main road and driving for two minutes, Li Cheng suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, right, Brother Fan, Old Zhou said everything at the orphanage is finished."

He glanced at the navigation.

"This place is only a ten-minute drive from the welfare home, or it's on our way—"

Halfway through his sentence, Li Cheng saw Jiang Fan glaring at him in the rearview mirror.

That look in his eyes was very telling.

Li Cheng realized that Su Yuyan was still sitting in the back seat.

He jerked the steering wheel back onto the main road, quickly trying to salvage the situation: "Never mind, let's do it another day. I have things to do today, I'll do it another time—"

Snapped.

A hand patted his right shoulder, not with much force.

Li Cheng hunched his shoulders, and the steering wheel almost veered off course.

Su Yuyan leaned forward from the back seat, her head pressing against the gap between the passenger seat and the driver's seat.

"An orphanage? What orphanage?"

Li Cheng opened and closed his mouth twice, glancing pleadingly into the rearview mirror.

Jiang Fan turned his head to look out the window and rubbed his face.

"It's... the orphanage where Brother Fan stayed when he was a child. He donated some money there before and repaired the buildings."

Su Yuyan turned to look at Jiang Fan. She had known Jiang Fan for so long, and she had never heard him mention this before.

She leaned back in her seat, her gaze lingering on the scenery outside the car window for a few seconds.

"Ten minutes from here?"

Li Cheng dared not utter a sound.

"Park on the side of the road."

"what?"

"Stop the car. I need to buy something."

Li Cheng stepped on the foot brake.

"Ms. Su... Ms. Su, today's time might be—"

Su Yuyan patted the back of his chair.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Pull over."

Li Cheng glanced at the rearview mirror.

Jiang Fan did not object.

The car pulled over and stopped in front of a medium-sized supermarket.

Su Yuyan pushed open the door and got out of the car, but after taking a few steps, she turned back, bent down, and leaned her head in through the car window.

"Li Cheng, come inside with me and move some things."

"I?"

Li Cheng unbuckled his seatbelt, got out of the car, and followed Su Yuyan into the supermarket.

-

Fifteen minutes later, the supermarket's automatic doors slid open.

Li Cheng pushed two shopping carts out, with Su Yuyan following behind, carrying two bags in her hands.

Li Cheng opened the trunk and stuffed things inside.

Milk, biscuits, fruit—

Then Li Cheng saw three large bags of diapers.

He looked up at Su Yuyan.

Su Yuyan pushed her sunglasses up to her head and said matter-of-factly, "Didn't you say you had a two-and-a-half-year-old child?"

Li Cheng glanced at the bottom of the shopping cart again.

Six cans of infant formula. Imported.

He picked it up, looked at the price tag, and hissed.

Su Yuyan slapped him. "What are you looking at? Get on the truck."

The trunk was packed full, and the passenger seat was also half full.

The car is back on the road.

Su Yuyan rolled up her sleeves, leaned back in her chair, and looked at Jiang Fan.

"Why have you never told me this before?"

"What did you say?"

"About the orphanage."

There's not much to say about what happened when I was a child.

Su Yuyan did not ask any further questions.

She turned her head to look out the window, and the buildings on both sides of the road seemed shorter.

The car was quiet for a while.

Li Cheng gripped the steering wheel tightly, wishing he could sew his mouth shut.

That mouth of yours just has to be sharp; why bring up welfare homes out of the blue?

-

The car turned onto that old road.

The freshly painted exterior walls were very bright under the afternoon sun, and all the areas where the paint had peeled and exposed the bricks had been smoothed out.

The windows have been replaced with new aluminum alloy frames and are spotless.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Hu Zi's voice came through the iron gate.

"Brother Fan is here!!"

The iron gate was pushed open with a bang, and Hu Zi rushed out with four or five boys.

"Brother Fan, you're finally here—"

Tiger ran to the car and saw a woman wearing sunglasses get out of the back seat. She had long legs and long hair, just like someone who had stepped out of a magazine cover.

"Who is this?"

Jiang Fan opened the trunk.

"Call her Sister Su."

Su Yuyan took off her sunglasses and smiled at Hu Zi.

"Your name is Tiger?"

Tiger instinctively took a step back and nodded.

"Help me move my things, and I'll give you candy when I'm done."

Tiger turned around and shouted into the yard, "Brothers! Move the stuff!"

A group of children suddenly rushed out.

Fang Xiulan walked out of the building entrance, carrying a basin in her hand.

She glanced at Jiang Fan, then at the tall, beautiful woman beside her, and frowned slightly.

"Xiao Fan, who is this...?"

"Aunt Fang, my friend. Su Yuyan."

"Hello, Aunt Fang." Su Yuyan nodded to her.

Fang Xiulan put the basin aside, walked over, and looked Su Yuyan up and down.

Jiang Fan's back was sweating slightly.

Fang Xiulan stared for a good five or six seconds before turning to look at Jiang Fan.

That one glance is more effective than anything else.

"Have you eaten yet? I just made some stewed pork ribs."

Su Yuyan glanced at Jiang Fan.

At the dinner table, at the negotiating table, on the awards stage, she always knew how to stand.

Today, standing in front of this three-story old building, I was actually a little unsure where to put my hands.

"Aunt Fang, we've already eaten, so please don't bother us."

"Even after you've eaten, you should still have a bowl of soup." Fang Xiulan pulled Su Yuyan and turned to walk into the courtyard.

The courtyard has changed quite a bit since my last visit.

The newly installed window frames were sparkling clean, the corridor walls had been repainted, and even the activity room door had been replaced with a new one.

The crooked locust tree in the corner is still there, but the bench under it has been replaced with new wood and coated with a layer of clear varnish.

A girl in her early teens came down from the second floor, carrying a very small child in her arms.

She looked to be a little over two years old, wearing a blue cotton-padded jacket, with a round face, and was smacking her fingers.

Su Yuyan stopped in her tracks.

The girl walked up to him and called out, "Brother Jiang Fan."

"Is this Xiaodou?" Jiang Fan asked.

"Hmm. She just woke up, and it took a while to soothe her before she stopped crying."

Su Yuyan reached out and took Xiaodou from the girl's hand.

Xiaodou landed in her arms, paused for a moment, then grabbed at Su Yuyan's hair with both hands.

The girl next to her quickly came to help.

"Little Bean, let go!"

Su Yuyan shook her head.

"fine."

She changed her position and rested Xiaodou's head on her shoulder.

Xiaodou paused for two seconds, then her whole body went limp, and she nuzzled her neck, stopping her fuss.

Fang Xiulan came out of the kitchen carrying a pot of pork rib soup. When she saw this scene, she paused for a moment.

Su Yuyan carried Xiaodou as they walked slowly in the yard.

The child's drool left a dark water stain on the shoulder of her suit jacket.

Tiger came closer and stood on tiptoe to look at Little Bean.

"Sister Su, he cries whenever anyone else holds him, he only clings to Aunt Fang. What did you do?"

As he spoke, Hu Zi reached out and poked Xiao Dou's cheek, and Xiao Dou burst into tears.

"Believe it or not, I'll beat you up!" Su Yuyan took a step back, protecting Xiaodou.

Tiger stuck out his tongue and ran away.

Jiang Fan stood in the corridor looking this way.

Fang Xiulan walked up to him at some point, and the two leaned against a pillar side by side.

Fang Xiulan's gaze lingered on Su Yuyan and Xiaodou for a long time.

"This one you brought... is also quite nice."