Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

After Yang Lele left, Xu Qingya picked up her phone and opened the group chat for the contestants of the "Tomorrow's Star" program.

Swipe your finger across the screen to scroll to the bottom.

Jiang Fan's profile picture is a gray little figure, and his nickname is just two words - "Jiang Fan".

Xu Qingya clicked into his profile. There wasn't a single post on his Moments.

Click to add a friend.

Two seconds later, the interface redirected, and the pass was granted.

Xu Qingya looked at the dialog box, her fingers hovering above the keyboard.

After a five-second pause, she typed a few words.

"The weather's nice outside, want to go for a walk?"

send.

The other party replied with a single word: "Okay."

Xu Qingya threw her phone onto the bed and opened the wardrobe door.

Several haute couture gowns were pushed aside.

She picked out a floral print maxi dress, held it up in front of her, and threw it onto the bed.

He took out another casual suit, glanced at it, and threw it away again.

Ten minutes later, the bed was piled high with clothes.

She eventually pulled out a loose white T-shirt without any logo from the bottom of her suitcase, paired with denim shorts.

After changing her clothes, she stood in front of the full-length mirror.

Put on a baseball cap, hang up a mask, and finally put on a pair of large sunglasses.

The person in the mirror completely lost their superstar aura.

Xu Qingya sent Jiang Fan another message: "Pengcheng Bay Boardwalk, 6 o'clock."

"it is good."

Still just one word.

Xu Qingya stared at the word "good" for two seconds, then muttered angrily to herself: Why does it sound like you're squeezing toothpaste?

-

At 6 p.m., on the Pengcheng Bay coastal boardwalk.

The sun began to set, and the sea breeze carried a distinctly salty and fishy smell. Xu Qingya stood by the wooden railing, looking at the sea.

Footsteps approached. Jiang Fan walked up to her. He was wearing a plain white T-shirt, gray athletic shorts, and flip-flops. A typical college student outfit.

Xu Qingya turned her head, her brows furrowing behind her sunglasses: "You're wearing this?"

Jiang Fan glanced down at his slippers.

"You're already eye-catching enough," Jiang Fan said calmly. "If I dress any more formally, we'll be on the front page tomorrow."

Xu Qingya didn't say anything, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve slightly.

The two walked forward along the boardwalk.

"Did you really write those two songs yourself?" Xu Qingya asked.

"Otherwise what?"

"Many people in the industry buy songs; it's not shameful."

"I don't have the money to buy it."

The conversation started with Jiang Fan's rendition of "Sorrow" in a bar, then moved on to the current music market environment, and finally to Xu Qingya's early gigs.

She suddenly realized that chatting with this person was comfortable.

There's no need to be pretentious, no need to be defensive, and no need to guess whether the other person has a ulterior motive behind every word they say.

She hadn't felt this way in a long time.

The sea breeze suddenly picked up. Xu Qingya's hat brim was blown askew by the wind, obscuring her right eye's vision. She was about to raise her hand to adjust it.

Jiang Fan's hand had already reached out.

His fingers brushed across her forehead, adjusting the brim of her hat with a natural motion.

Xu Qingya paused for half a second before continuing to walk forward.

There is a pushcart stall selling handmade lemon tea at the corner of the boardwalk.

Jiang Fan walked over, scanned the code to pay, and took two cups.

He handed Xu Qingya a cup.

Xu Qingya took the plastic cup, pulled down her mask, and put the straw in her mouth.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on her face, giving her bare face a natural texture.

Jiang Fan couldn't help but take a second look.

Xu Qingya felt his gaze and looked up.

"What are you looking at?"

Jiang Fan didn't reply, his gaze slowly sliding from her eyes to her lips, which were pressed against the straw.

Xu Qingya blushed and almost choked on the straw.

Just then, a young girl walked by and suddenly slowed down.

She stared at Xu Qingya for several seconds, her gaze shifting from hesitation to surprise.

Xu Qingya reflexively pulled up her mask.

The girl tilted her head and looked at it for a while, muttered "It looks like it," but ultimately didn't go forward and continued walking.

Xu Qingya breathed a sigh of relief, a thin layer of sweat appearing on her back.

Jiang Fan grabbed Xu Qingya's hand and pulled her to the seaside side of the boardwalk, using his shoulder to block the flow of people.

Xu Qingya looked down at her hand, which he was holding, but did not pull away.

-

At 7:30 p.m., the two turned into a seafood stall at the end of the boardwalk.

Red plastic tables and chairs were placed on the sidewalk, with tissues and bamboo skewers scattered on the ground.

Jiang Fan pulled out a plastic chair for Xu Qingya to sit down.

There was a layer of grease on the table that couldn't be washed off, but she didn't pay attention to it.

The owner brought out a plate of grilled oysters, and the aroma of garlic hit the nose.

Xu Qingya looked at the sizzling oysters on the plate and said, "I've never eaten in a place like this before."

Jiang Fan picked up an oyster and used chopsticks to remove the meat.

"When I was a security guard at Tianyu, after my night shift, I would often go to the food stall at the entrance of the alley near the company to eat."

Xu Qingya picked up her chopsticks, then paused for a second.

She suddenly realized something.

Just a few days ago, the person sitting opposite me was a security guard who looked after the company gate.

She recorded songs in the same building's recording studio, coming and going by car, never giving the uniformed person at the door a second glance.

Now, he sits across from her, wearing flip-flops, but his presence completely overshadows hers.

This intense sense of identity dislocation gave her an indescribable thrill.

Xu Qingya looked down at the oysters on the plate, picked one up and put it in her mouth.

"Is it good?" Jiang Fan asked.

"……good."

-

The night breeze was much cooler when I came out of the food stall.

The two walked back along the road, Xu Qingya's hands always in her shorts pockets, occasionally brushing against his arm.

In the hotel elevator, Xu Qingya stood in front of the button panel and pressed "12".

The elevator doors closed, and the car began to rise.

Neither of them spoke. The only sound was the soft hum of the elevator.

Jiang Fan swiped the SIM card to open the door to room 1208, and Xu Qingya walked straight in.

Xu Qingya took off her hat and sunglasses and stood in the center of the room.

This time she didn't make any excuses; she just wanted to stay here.

Jiang Fan closed the door behind him, and the latch clicked shut.

He leaned against the door, looking at the woman standing in the center of the room.

Still having trouble sleeping?

"……Shut up."

She reached out and grabbed the collar of Jiang Fan's T-shirt, pulling it down forcefully.

Jiang Fan lowered his head, and their lips met.

This time is different from the previous two.

Without the influence of alcohol or the impulsiveness of the early morning, Xu Qingya's mind was perfectly clear.

Jiang Fan wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up.

Xu Qingya wrapped her legs around his waist, and Jiang Fan carried her to the bedside.

The two fell onto the mattress, and Xu Qingya's white T-shirt was thrown onto the carpet, followed by her denim shorts.

The light shone on her fair shoulders, and Jiang Fan's movements were characterized by absolute control.

Xu Qingya's soft breathing amplified in the quiet room. She gripped the sheets tightly with both hands, her fingernails drawing deep wrinkles in the fabric.

-

afterwards.

Xu Qingya lay on her side, her breathing still irregular.

"Jiang Fan".

"Um."

"You just went too far."

Which part are you referring to?

Xu Qingya grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.

Jiang Fan caught the pillow that flew towards him and pulled her over.

"If you keep smashing it, I won't have a pillow to sleep on."

"Who said I was going to sleep here?"

Just as Xu Qingya was about to sit up, Jiang Fan's arm was already around her waist.

"Let go."

Xu Qingya turned around and glared at him, but her gaze was hardly offensive in the dim light.

Most of her hair was loose, with stray strands sticking to her cheeks and neck.

Jiang Fan looked at her like this and gently rubbed her waist with his thumb.

Xu Qingya's body shrank almost instinctively. She bit her lower lip, wanting to curse him, but her throat couldn't produce a complete syllable, only managing a low groan.

The air was silent for two seconds.

Xu Qingya suddenly turned over, straddled him, and looked down at him.

"Do you think," she slowly leaned down, "that by sleeping with me, you can control me?"

Jiang Fan lay on the bed watching her, reaching out to tuck her stray hairs behind her ear.

"You've got that backwards. You're the one who slept with me."

"asshole......."

She lowered her head and bit Jiang Fan's lips, as if in a fit of pique, or perhaps as a declaration of war against defeat.

Jiang Fan gripped her lower back with his hand, rolled over, and pressed her back into the mattress.

The bedside lamp was finally turned off.

In the darkness, only the sound of their intermittent breathing and the faint lights outside the window remained.

The lights in that room didn't come back on until late into the night.

The corner of the corridor on the twelfth floor.

The emergency exit door was half-open.

A man in a black jacket was crouching in the shadows behind the door.

A single-lens reflex camera with a telephoto lens rested on his lap.

The camera was pointed directly at the address 1208.

Press the replay button with your finger.

The screen showed the footage from the previous burst of shots—a woman wearing a baseball cap and a mask following Jiang Fan into room 1208.

Zoom in.

Although the woman was fully disguised in the viewfinder, her figure and temperament were impossible to hide in the eyes of a veteran paparazzi in the entertainment industry.