Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

After they finished packing, the two left the hotel and drove straight to the company.

Li Cheng drove, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, his lips twitching slightly.

He's 34 and got involved with the company's receptionist, only to be caught red-handed by his boss.

Anyone would feel ashamed in this situation.

The car was parked downstairs at the company.

Li Cheng took out the key, and the two walked through the gate one after the other, with a distance of three meters between them.

Upon entering the company, Zhou Yutong quickened her pace and darted behind the reception desk to sit down.

Li Cheng, who came in later, went straight to Jiang Fan's office door and knocked twice.

"Enter."

Push open the door.

Jiang Fan sat behind his desk, typing on the computer screen without looking up.

"sit."

Li Cheng closed the door and pulled out a chair to sit down.

The moment his bottom touched the chair, he heard Jiang Fan speak.

"Why is Zhou Yutong's voice hoarse? Did she catch a cold?"

Li Cheng's back stiffened.

"Maybe... I ate too much hot pot last night, and I'm feeling a bit overheated."

Jiang Fan finally looked up from the computer screen and glanced at him.

That glance didn't show much expression, but it conveyed a lot of information.

Li Cheng felt a chill run down his spine, placed his hands on his knees, and sat up straight.

"Alright." Jiang Fan picked up his coffee and took a sip. "Take care of the company's internal matters yourself. Just don't let it interfere with your work."

Li Cheng suddenly stood up: "Brother Fan, don't worry, it definitely won't affect anything—"

"sit down."

Li Cheng sat back down.

Jiang Fan turned the computer around, and an email appeared on the screen.

"It's important. Preparations have started in Ningyuan, and they're scheduled to start filming next Monday. I need you to oversee the set."

He tapped the screen with his finger.

"Venue rental, extras allocation, and logistical support—all coordinated with Ningyuan. Send me the detailed budget for review."

Li Cheng's mind snapped back to work.

"No problem, where's the venue?"

"There's a high school in Songjiang that's willing to lend us their space. Students won't be attending classes during the National Day holiday. The person in charge at the school is surnamed Liu; his phone number is in the email. You can contact them there."

Li Cheng typed rapidly on his phone, memorizing each and every message.

Jiang Fan continued speaking.

"We'll start working on the promotional materials next week. Posters, character photos, trailers—you coordinate the photography team. The first version of the trailer must be out by mid-December, before the pre-sales for the Spring Festival film season begin."

"clear."

"Su Yuyan will handle the distribution, and she'll coordinate the theatrical scheduling. You and her assistant should create a group chat to keep each other updated on the progress of the materials."

"it is good."

After explaining the arrangements, Jiang Fan leaned back in his chair and tapped the table with his finger.

"besides--"

Li Cheng's buttocks reflexively bounced off the chair.

"Brother Fan, I swear, there's really nothing going on between Yutong and me—"

"I haven't said anything yet."

Jiang Fan shook his head, looking at his guilty expression.

"What I want to say is, could you check with Ning Yuan on the props department to make sure there are no mistakes in the details of the desks, school uniforms, textbooks, and blackboard bulletins from the 1990s? Viewers have very sharp eyes for these kinds of period dramas; even a single mistake will get you criticized and trending on social media."

"Oh, okay." Li Cheng quickly wrote it down.

That's an overreaction.

He cleared his throat and stood up.

"Shall I go ahead and get busy?"

"Go."

As Li Cheng turned to leave and placed his hand on the doorknob, he heard Jiang Fan's voice behind him.

"Brother Cheng."

Li Cheng turned around.

Jiang Fan leaned back in his chair, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth.

"Congratulations."

Li Cheng was stunned for a moment.

Then he grinned, looking like a fool despite being over thirty.

"Thanks, Brother Fan."

He opened the door and went out, his steps much lighter than when he came in.

As I passed the front desk, Zhou Yutong was sitting there pretending to organize documents.

After walking seven or eight steps, I looked back.

Zhou Yutong was peeking at him from behind the document, only one eye visible.

The moment their eyes met, she quickly pulled her head back.

Li Cheng touched his nose, whistled, and turned into his office.

I never thought that I, in my thirties, could still feel my heart racing.

-

In the office, Jiang Fan closed the email page, leaned back in his chair, and stretched.

He couldn't be bothered with Li Cheng's affairs. It was a matter between two adults, and as long as it didn't affect his work, he'd let them do what they wanted.

On the other hand, Tang Yingxue needs to hurry up with the song.

She said she would stay in Shanghai for two more days, which made her meaning very clear; she couldn't let people wait in vain.

Jiang Fan closed his eyes, and with a thought, the system panel popped up.

He found the complete lyrics, music, and arrangement of "Later" that he had previously redeemed.

This song, "Past Life," spans the youthful memories of an entire generation and is a must-sing hit at karaoke.

Jiang Fan opened the music production software on his computer and started adding tracks to it.

After working all afternoon, the arrangement and demo recording are finally finished.

He sang the demo himself, and male voices are always a bit lacking when singing this song, but the melody and emotions were expressed very clearly.

Jiang Fan took off his monitoring headphones, turned his neck left and right, and his shoulders ached terribly.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Tang Yingxue.

Jiang Fan: The song is finished.

Two minutes later, the reply came.

Tang Yingxue: So fast? Wasn't it supposed to be two weeks?

Jiang Fan: I can't keep you waiting here for nothing.

Tang Yingxue: I'm still at the hotel, come over here.

Jiang Fan put down his phone, put his headphones back on, and listened to the arrangement again from beginning to end.

No problem, he exported the final version and copied it to a USB drive.

I grabbed my coat and went out.

As Zhou Yutong passed by the front desk, she was drinking loquat syrup to soothe her throat when she saw Jiang Fan and almost choked.

"Fan, Brother Fan..."

"Is your throat feeling better?"

Zhou Yutong's face turned red again, from her neck all the way to her ears.

"Almost done, almost done."

Jiang Fan nodded, said nothing more, and left.

Zhou Yutong watched his figure disappear into the elevator doors, then slumped back in her chair and let out a long sigh.

-

Jiang Fan left the company and took a taxi straight to the Bulgari Hotel.

Twenty minutes later, Jiang Fan arrived at Tang Yingxue's room and rang the doorbell.

The door was pulled open from the inside.

Tang Yingxue stood behind the door, wearing a white hotel bathrobe.

She wasn't wearing makeup, but her skin was still smooth and glowing, and her lips were a natural light pink.

"Come in."

She stepped aside and walked in barefoot.

Tang Yingxue sat on the sofa, curled her legs to her sides, and slipped the hem of her bathrobe open a little to reveal her calves.

"Where's the song? Let me listen to it first."

Jiang Fan sat down opposite her and placed the USB drive on the coffee table.

Tang Yingxue picked up the USB drive, looked at it, opened the laptop on the coffee table, and eagerly plugged it in.

There's only one song in the folder, "Later".

She double-clicked to open it.

The piano prelude begins.

When the first note fell, Tang Yingxue's finger stopped on the touchpad.

The melody is slow, carrying a restrained sadness.

Then Jiang Fan's voice came in.

"Later, I finally learned how to love—"

The male demo has a deep, low tone, which doesn't quite match the overall feel of the song.

But the helplessness in the memories and the relief after missing out were expressed very well.

"Unfortunately, you've already gone far away, disappeared into the sea of ​​people—"

Tang Yingxue's hands hung at her sides, her fingertips unconsciously clenching the cuffs of her bathrobe.

The chorus is coming.

Later, I finally understood through tears that some people, once missed, are gone forever—

The piano is pushed to the bottom, while the vocals are pushed to the top.

The whole song takes five minutes and thirty seconds to listen to.

The room remained quiet for a while.

Tang Yingxue dragged the play bar back to the beginning and played it again.

Her fingers tapped on her knees, and she silently sang a melody.

After a dozen seconds, she hummed softly.

"Later, I finally understood through my tears—"

Her voice was completely different from the demo; it was clean, clear, and the last syllable rose slightly, with a hint of vibrato.

After humming just this one line, Jiang Fan knew that giving this song to her was the right decision.

The two huddled together watching the screen. Tang Yingxue would read a line, and Jiang Fan would hum along with the melody.

When they encounter a problem with a ventilation point, the two will stop and discuss it.

It took almost an hour, and we drank three bottles of mineral water from the coffee table.

Tang Yingxue closed her laptop, leaned back on the sofa, and rubbed her temples.

She turned her head to look at Jiang Fan.

The light shone from the side, highlighting the sharp lines of his profile and the attractive curve of his jawline.

"You wrote the song so quickly, how about I reward you?"