Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

Chapter 148 If you lose, you'll be punished by having to wear a ponytail every day.

When Shen Nian opened her eyes, she felt a slight discomfort under her neck.

She shifted and found that her entire head was resting on Jiang Fan's collarbone.

A warm patch was pressed against my back.

Jiang Fan's arm went under her neck, and his other hand casually rested in front of her, his fingers unconsciously pinching her twice.

Just as Shen Nian was about to move, she immediately realized that something was pressing against her lower body.

She even held her breath, frozen in place, afraid to move.

About two minutes later, the arm loosened its grip a little, and Jiang Fan turned over, facing the ceiling, letting out a muffled nasal sound.

"Awake?" The voice was hoarse.

"Hmm." Shen Nian threw back the covers and sat up. "It's already nine o'clock."

Jiang Fan put the back of his hand over his eyes and then sat up.

He turned his head and looked at her, his gaze lingering for a moment below her collarbone.

Shen Nian followed his gaze and looked down, immediately pulling the blanket up to cover herself completely.

"What are you looking at?"

She grabbed the clothes scattered at the foot of the bed, jumped off the bed barefoot, and rushed into the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a shower first."

The showerhead turned on, and the water flowed down, finally giving her a sigh of relief.

I had just lathered up the shampoo when the door lock clicked.

She couldn't see with her eyes closed, but she felt a warm body press against her and pull her into an embrace from behind.

"What are you doing... I'm washing my hair."

"It's okay, you go ahead and wash."

Jiang Fan rested his chin on her shoulder, his hands moving restlessly.

The shampoo foam washed down their backs and between them, leaving a slippery residue.

"Jiang Fan, stop fooling around..."

"I'm not kidding." He lowered his head and kissed the back of her neck. "Let me rub your back."

A minute later, Shen Nian bit her lip tightly.

The sound of water drowned out all the noise behind it.

Thirty minutes later, Shen Nian came out wrapped in a bath towel, her legs still a little weak.

Jiang Fan casually dried his hair with a towel and put on a T-shirt.

"I'm going downstairs to buy breakfast."

He opened the door and looked back once more.

Shen Nian was drying her hair in front of the mirror when she looked away from the mirror.

When Shen Nian had almost finished breakfast, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

A WeChat voice message sent by Zhou Yutong.

Upon opening the app, the little girl's voice bombarded the screen: "Sister Nian! We're downstairs at your place! We can't get through to Brother Jiang Fan on the phone!"

In the background, Li Cheng's muffled voice could be heard: "Tell them to hurry up, so they don't miss their flight."

Shen Nian pressed the voice button: "Okay, I'll be downstairs in ten minutes."

Jiang Fan had already packed his suitcase and was standing in front of the wardrobe changing his shirt.

"Brother Cheng is waiting downstairs."

"I heard you." He buttoned the top button, picked up the suitcase, and walked out.

Shen Nian quickly put on a mask and hat and followed them out.

In the back seat of the Buick minivan, Zhou Yutong sat down next to Shen Nian.

As the car drove onto the elevated road, Zhou Yutong moved closer, staring at Shen Nian's face from left to right.

"Sister Nian, why is your face so rosy? What foundation are you using?"

Shen Nian glanced at her: "It's a homemade recipe; you can't buy it."

"You're so stingy." Zhou Yutong pouted and pulled a tube of throat lozenges out of her bag. "Sister Nian, try this. It's loquat flavored and it's really soothing for your throat."

Shen Nian took it, peeled one, and popped it into her mouth.

It's sweet with a hint of minty coolness.

"Sister Nian, are you nervous?"

"I'm not nervous."

"I'm so nervous for you!" Zhou Yutong patted her chest. "It's the finals! If you beat Chen Hao, you'll be the champion! I want a seafood feast at the victory celebration!"

Li Cheng, who was driving in the front, glanced in the rearview mirror and said, "Yutong, your sister is preparing for the competition, and all you're thinking about is eating."

"You need to be well-fed to have the energy to keep going," Zhou Yutong said confidently. "Besides, with Brother Fan around, how could Sister Nian lose? Every song Brother Fan writes is a smash hit!"

"It's not that easy." Li Cheng turned the steering wheel. "I heard that Chen Hao hired a vocal coach from the national team and practiced in seclusion for five days. Apparently, the song he chose is a big one, one that hits high notes."

"So what?" Zhou Yutong snorted. "Our Sister Nian still has Brother Fan's exclusive tutoring."

As Shen Nian listened to the two bickering, she looked down at the sheet music on her phone, a slight smile playing on her lips.

At 4:30 p.m., the flight landed in Changsha on time.

The production crew's car was already waiting at the exit. The three of them got in and headed straight for the hotel.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Zhou Yutong returned to her room.

Jiang Fan put Shen Nian's suitcase into the bedroom.

Are you nervous?

Shen Nian was about to shake her head, but after a couple of seconds she nodded: "A little."

Jiang Fan walked over and reached out to tuck a strand of hair that had fallen to the side of her face behind her ear.

"Tomorrow is the rehearsal, just to get a feel for the stage."

"Um."

Shen Nian turned around to face Jiang Fan.

After hesitating for a moment, she reached out and hooked the hem of his shirt, giving it a gentle tug.

"Will you practice with me one more time tonight?"

Jiang Fan looked down at her and ruffled her hair.

"OK."

The three of them had a casual meal at the hotel restaurant that evening.

Zhou Yutong insisted on sleeping with Shen Nian, but Jiang Fan ruthlessly chased her away.

The reason given was that Shen Nian had to practice singing that evening.

"Yutong, go back and get some rest. You have to get up early tomorrow to go to the site." Shen Nian pushed her out the door.

"Then Nian-jie, you should go to bed early and not stay up too late," Zhou Yutong urged, clinging to the doorframe.

The door closed.

There were only two people left in the room.

Jiang Fan walked to the window, drew the curtains, and turned on the accompaniment on his phone.

Shen Nian stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and closed her eyes.

Her voice was soft, starting from the lowest point and spreading out little by little.

Jiang Fan stood behind her, tapping a rhythm on her waist with his fingers.

In the second verse, the melody begins to climb.

Shen Nian's voice grew louder and louder, her breath steady as she supported each syllable.

The chorus is coming.

That most deadly high note.

Shen Nian steadied her breathing and raised her voice—

Ah~~~

The sound steadily reached its peak, with extremely strong penetrating power, and lingered in the enclosed room for several seconds before dissipating.

I practiced one song for a full hour.

Jiang Fan's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed.

After the song was finished, Shen Nian stood by the window for a few seconds, and only turned around after a long while.

Her face was a little red, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"How did it go this time?"

"H is great." Jiang Fan nodded. "It's better than in the bedroom; it saves on sheets."

Shen Nian paused for a second, then realized what he meant, and her face turned even redder.

She grabbed a tissue from the coffee table and threw it at him.

Jiang Fan dodged it by tilting his head and caught it easily.

Then I took out a few tissues and wiped up the water stains on the floor.

Shen Nian leaned into his arms and listened to his steady heartbeat.

"Jiang Fan".