Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

Li Cheng drove the company car and dropped the two off at the intersection below their apartment building.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Shen Nian pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt and took out a black mask from her pocket, covering most of her face.

She pushed open the car door and jumped out after Jiang Fan.

Li Cheng rolled down the car window: "Brother Fan, I'll be going now."

"Let's go."

The car drove away.

Instead of going upstairs, the two bypassed the zebra crossing and turned into the large chain supermarket across the street.

At 6:30 pm, there weren't many people in the supermarket.

Jiang Fan pushed an empty shopping cart ahead.

Shen Nian followed behind, her hands in her hoodie pockets, her eyes wandering back and forth across the shelves on both sides.

Passing by the daily necessities section, Shen Nian stopped and pointed to the shower gel on the shelf.

"We're almost out of supplies at home."

Jiang Fan reached out, grabbed a bottle, and tossed it into the bicycle basket.

Walking to the snack section, Shen Nian grabbed a few more bags of potato chips.

Jiang Fan glanced at the small mountain of snacks piled up. "You're a female celebrity, aren't you afraid of gaining weight from eating so much junk food?"

"I'm not afraid. I need to be full to have the energy to sing." Shen Nian said confidently, stuffing all the potato chips into the shopping cart.

"What would you like to eat?" Jiang Fan asked, turning his head.

"Sweet and sour pork ribs," Shen Nian replied through her mask.

Walking into the fresh produce section, Jiang Fan picked out two boxes of ribs that looked good from the refrigerated display case.

They continued pushing the cart forward.

After walking a dozen steps, there was no sound behind me.

Jiang Fan turned around to look for her and found Shen Nian standing in the candy section, taking a box of mints from the shelf.

She tore open the outer packaging, poured out a piece of the mask and put it in her mouth. She only pulled the mask up to her chin, chewed it a couple of times, and then pulled the mask back up.

Jiang Fan ignored her and turned to the vegetable section, where he picked up two thorny cucumbers.

After paying the bill, Jiang Fan carried two large bags of things, one in each hand, and walked ahead.

Shen Nian followed behind, crunching on a mint candy.

We entered the apartment.

Jiang Fan changed his shoes, carried the ingredients into the kitchen, and placed them on the marble countertop.

He rolled up his shirt sleeves, revealing the muscle definition in his forearms, and turned on the tap to prepare the ribs.

Just as the water flowed over the back of my hand, another pair of hands appeared around my waist.

Shen Nian hugged him from behind, pressing her cheek against his back.

Through the thin fabric of her shirt, I could feel the warmth of her cheeks.

Jiang Fan turned off the tap and used a kitchen paper to dry his hands.

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Fan turned around.

Shen Nian took a step forward and snuggled into his arms.

She pressed her forehead against his chest and rubbed it twice.

"Are you exhausted?"

Jiang Fan looked down at her.

Shen Nian didn't reply. She tilted her head back, her bright red lipstick standing out under the kitchen's fluorescent light.

She tiptoed, put her hands on his shoulders, and pressed her lips directly against his.

The refreshing taste of peppermint candy mixed with her unique fragrance, passing between her lips and teeth.

Jiang Fan was stunned for a second.

Shen Nian is usually indifferent and is always the one being pushed along in these kinds of situations. What's wrong with her today?

Their teeth clicked together, making a soft sound.

Jiang Fan placed his hand on her waist and pushed her away, creating half an inch of distance.

"Aren't you hungry? Eat first."

Shen Nian took a breath, her chest heaving, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"No." Her voice was hoarse. "You helped me win the championship and get the endorsement deal... I'm happy. I want to thank you."

As soon as she finished speaking, she stood on tiptoe again, cupped Jiang Fan's face in her hands, and kissed him even more passionately than before.

The bright red lip gloss was smudged and stained the edges of both of their lips.

Jiang Fan placed his hand on her waist, his fingertips slipping under her clothes.

The oversized black hoodie was ripped off and tossed casually onto the hardwood floor.

Inside was a pink lace bra.

"Go to the bedroom..." Shen Nian's voice trembled slightly.

Jiang Fan didn't listen to him.

He grabbed her slender waist with both hands, used his strength to lift her up, and placed her on the marble countertop in the kitchen.

Shen Nian let out a cry of "Ah!" as her bottom landed on the cold table, causing her to flinch.

At this height, her line of sight was exactly level with Jiang Fan's.

Her feet were dangling in mid-air, and her left slipper was thrown off, landing on the floor tiles with a thud.

Jiang Fan hooked his fingers around the edge of her safety shorts and pulled them down along with the inner fabric.

Shen Nian braced herself on the table with both hands and lifted her buttocks slightly to accommodate him.

The clothes slid down her long legs to her ankles, and with a flick of Jiang Fan's wrist, they flew to some unknown corner behind her.

The kitchen lights were those bright white fluorescent bulbs, illuminating everything clearly.

Shen Nian stood with her legs together, her face flushed red to the roots of her neck.

She was still wearing her underwear, and sitting naked on the table where she usually cooked and chopped vegetables.

"Could you please turn off the light...?"

"It's not closed."

Jiang Fan pressed his hands against her knees, which were pressed together, and pulled them apart.

Shen Nian bit her lower lip, her thigh muscles tensed for two seconds, but eventually relaxed.

Jiang Fan lowered his head.

"ah--"

Shen Nian placed her hand on his head, her ten fingers tightly gripping his hair.

She braced her feet on the edge of the table, her toes curling tightly.

"Jiang Fan...where have you been learning all these bad things all day long..."

Only the sound of water answered her.

Shen Nian tilted her head back, one hand supporting herself on the table, the other hand pressing down hard on Jiang Fan's head, it was unclear whether she wanted to push him away or press him down even tighter.

Ten minutes later.

Jiang Fan straightened up, and the sound of his belt buckle being unbuckled was particularly clear in the quiet kitchen.

He pushed Shen Nian's pink bra up, bunching it up around her collarbone.

"Hold me tight."

Shen Nian obediently wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned forward.

-

Much later.

Jiang Fan turned on the tap to wash the handle, then pulled out a wet tissue and handed it over.

Shen Nian took it and slumped onto the table, her chest still heaving.

After a while, she finally managed to slide down onto the floor, holding onto the edge of the counter.

"Go take a shower first, dinner will be ready soon."

Shen Nian nodded, bent down to pick up the clothes on the floor, and slipped into the bathroom as if fleeing.

The moment the door closed, a muffled curse came from inside—

"You filthy scoundrel..."

Jiang Fan smiled, rolled up his sleeves again, and poured the ribs out of the bag.

The system panel quietly appeared at the edge of the field of vision.

[Deep Compatibility x1, Lifespan +1000]

Jiang Fan glanced at it and put the panel away.

Blanch the pork ribs to remove the scum, heat oil in a wok, and add rock sugar to caramelize.

The sound of water from the bathroom stopped.

The sweet and sour aroma of sweet and sour pork ribs wafted from the kitchen.

Shen Nian changed into a set of pure cotton loungewear and came out with her hair half-dry, rubbing it haphazardly with a towel.

She walked to the stove and sniffed.

"It smells so good."

Jiang Fan picked up a piece of pork rib with his chopsticks, blew on it, and held it to her lips.

"Try it."

Shen Nian opened her mouth, bit down, chewed twice, and her eyes lit up.

"Mmm, delicious."

Go get the bowls and chopsticks.

Two dishes and a soup were served: sweet and sour pork ribs, cucumber salad, and seaweed and egg drop soup.

The two sat facing each other at the dining table.

Shen Nian ate very quickly, her cheeks bulging, and she only slowed down after eating three pieces of pork ribs.

Jiang Fan looked at her and said, "Slow down, no one's going to take it from you."

After swallowing the rib in her mouth, Shen Nian picked up a cucumber strip and took a bite.

"How's the progress of your movie?"

"Filming starts next week. Ning Yuan is leading the team to Songjiang to shoot on location, so I'll have to travel between the two places."

Shen Nian nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

After finishing her meal, Shen Nian took the initiative to put the dishes and chopsticks into the kitchen.

When she dried her hands and came out, Jiang Fan was sitting on the sofa looking at his phone.

Shen Nian walked over and straddled his lap.

"Not again?" Jiang Fan tossed his phone onto the coffee table and placed his hands on her waist.

Shen Nian brushed a tuft of hair from his forehead with her finger.

"I didn't get enough fun in the kitchen just now." She leaned closer, her nose brushing against his neck, and greedily inhaled.

"Shen Nian, did you take the wrong medicine today?"

Jiang Fan didn't waste any more words. He picked the person up and strode towards the bedroom.

Shen Nian was thrown onto the soft bed.

Jiang Fan didn't rush into his next move.

He leaned over her, looking into Shen Nian's eyes.

"Shen Nian."

"Um?"

"Your stage will only get bigger and bigger in the future."

Shen Nian hooked her arms around his neck and pulled his head down.

"Just watching me from the audience is enough."

The buttons on the pure cotton loungewear were popped open one by one.

The fabric slipped down, revealing a large expanse of fair skin.

Shen Nian's voice trailed off, echoing in the quiet bedroom.