Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

5:10 a.m.

Xu Qingya's biological clock woke her up on time.

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was a man's collarbone.

She gently raised her head.

Jiang Fan was asleep, breathing steadily, with one arm still draped over her waist.

Xu Qingya held her breath and slowly pulled herself out from under his arm.

The hotel bed was much better than the one in the security room; at least it didn't creak when I turned over.

She stepped barefoot on the carpet, bent down to pick up the scattered underwear and put it on.

The cardigan was hanging at the foot of the bed, so she picked it up and put it on.

Xu Qingya walked to the door, put on a mask and baseball cap, and glanced back at the person on the bed.

The blanket was kicked halfway down, revealing Jiang Fan's upper body.

The chest that she had been lying on was now rising and falling gently with her breathing.

Xu Qingya quickly turned around and opened the door.

The corridor was so quiet you could hear the hum of the central air conditioning.

She returned to the fire escape staircase via the same route.

Stepping onto the cement steps, a chill ran up her spine, and she realized she had forgotten to wear the hotel slippers.

Forget it.

Compared to walking barefoot down the stairs, being caught coming out of a male contestant's room is truly deadly.

Back in 1301, Xu Qingya leaned against the door, closed her eyes, and stood there for more than ten seconds, waiting for her heartbeat to return to normal.

Then she went into the bathroom.

The moment the lights came on, she was stunned by her reflection in the mirror.

She thought it was a coincidence when she looked in the mirror at home last time.

But this time I can't lie to myself anymore.

The woman in the mirror had skin with a thin sheen.

She reached up and touched her cheek; the sensation on her fingertips made her gasp.

Xu Qingya leaned closer to the mirror and carefully examined the corners of her eyes.

The two fine lines from last time have faded.

She took a step back and looked at herself in the mirror again.

Xu Qingya, who is thirty years old, looks like she is twenty-three or twenty-four.

It's not the stiff, youthful look achieved through cosmetic fillers; it's a genuine youthfulness from the inside out.

Xu Qingya stared at herself in the mirror for a long time.

Her reason told her that this was not normal.

But her eyes told her it was true.

And there's only one reason.

Xu Qingya turned off the bathroom light and came out.

She didn't think about "why".

Ten years in the entertainment industry taught her one thing—some questions don't need answers, only results.

I lay back down on the bed.

The moment my head hit the pillow, sleepiness returned.

She turned to her side and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

Before closing my eyes, the last thought in my mind was—

Who exactly is he?

And then I knew nothing more.

-

Room 1208.

Jiang Fan opened his eyes less than two minutes after Xu Qingya left.

She woke up the moment she carefully withdrew her arm.

Jiang Fan leaned against the headboard, a thought forming in his mind.

A semi-transparent panel pops up.

Lifespan: 4600 points

[Remaining lifespan: 3 days and 17 hours]

Jiang Fan did not hesitate and directly exchanged for ten days of lifespan.

The panel numbers are changing —

[Remaining lifespan: 13 days and 17 hours]

[Remaining lifespan: 3600 points]

He turned off the panel, lay back down, and closed his eyes.

-

10:00 AM.

Xu Qingya finally sat up in bed after the knocking was repeated three times.

She glanced at her phone and realized she had slept for almost five hours.

"Qingya-jie? Are you awake?"

Yang Lele's voice came from outside the door.

Xu Qingya rubbed her eyes and got up to open the door.

The moment the door opened, Yang Lele's words caught in her throat.

She stared at Xu Qingya's face, opened her mouth, and almost dropped the coffee cup in her hand.

"you……"

"What's wrong?" Xu Qingya stepped aside to let her in.

Yang Lele followed her into the room, her gaze fixed on Xu Qingya's face, her expression as if she had seen a ghost.

"Qingya, what...did you do last night?"

"sleep."

"No, I meant your face." Yang Lele put the coffee on the table and leaned closer to examine it. "Your skin has gotten even better again!"

Xu Qingya walked into the bathroom and glanced at herself in the mirror.

Same as what I saw in the early morning.

Even after a good night's sleep, her complexion improved.

"Maybe it's because I'm sleeping better," she said without changing her expression.

"Sleep?" Yang Lele looked incredulous.

"Lele," Xu Qingya looked at her face in the mirror, "what's the schedule for today?"

Yang Lele knew this was a way of changing the subject, and she instinctively suppressed her curiosity.

She took out her phone and scrolled through the announcements.

"The next recording session is in a week, so I don't have any announcements today. My flight back to Shanghai is at 8 PM tonight. Tomorrow night is the GUCI Asia Pacific annual party, and they specifically requested your attendance. The day after tomorrow morning, I'm going to the recording studio. The new album still needs two more singles, and Brother Chen said—"

When "Brother Chen" was mentioned, Yang Lele hesitated noticeably.

"What did Chen Weiyang say?" Xu Qingya asked.

He said... he could give me the song, but he wanted me to have a meal with him.

Chen Weiyang, a top producer at EE-Media.

But this person is notoriously difficult to please; he writes songs for whomever he feels likes.

Last time, when Hsu Ching-ya's agent, Sister Chen, asked him to discuss a collaboration, his exact words were, "Let Ching-ya herself come and talk to me."

When it comes to eating, it's really about saving face.

Xu Qingya should personally go and invite him.

"I've cancelled the cocktail party. I've also postponed the dinner with Chen Weiyang. I've cancelled my flight; I'll stay in Shenzhen for two days to clear my head."

Yang Lele was completely stunned.

"Qingya, GUCI has already pushed them once, pushing them again will really... and as for Chen Weiyang, you know him, when he gets angry he'll just give the song to someone else—"

"He won't." Xu Qingya looked in the mirror, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "If he really didn't want to write for me, he wouldn't use a meal as a condition. Let him wait a couple of days, there's no rush."

Yang Lele opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but found that she couldn't find any logical fault in it.

Who is Xu Qingya?

For the past ten years, my schedule has been packed so tightly that I wish I could stretch one day into three.

Even if he was sick with a fever of 39 degrees Celsius, he would go straight to the stage after receiving an IV drip.

With two singles still missing from her new album, a matter that's extremely urgent, she can actually say "no rush."

Did they actively request a rest?

"Fly back first and keep an eye on the mixing progress of the existing tracks at the recording studio," Xu Qingya said firmly. "I'll be back the day after tomorrow."

This is to get her out of the way.

Yang Lele has been with Xu Qingya for ten years, so she has some judgment.

But she also knew that when Xu Qingya spoke in that tone, there was no room for negotiation.

"...Okay." Yang Lele nodded and put her phone back in her pocket.

When she walked out of the room, her mind was full of questions.

Both of Qingya's skin changes occurred overnight.

The two lead singles from the new album are still undecided, GUCI's party was canceled without notice, and then suddenly I have to stay in Shenzhen alone...

Yang Lele pressed the elevator button, her brows furrowing slightly.

What does Shenzhen have to offer?

Staff, mentors, and—those male contestants?

But Qingya is someone of a certain caliber; how could she possibly be interested in a contestant from a talent show?

Yang Lele shook her head and said, "Never mind."

You're definitely overthinking it; Qingya just wants to rest.