Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

Jiang Fan pressed the answer button.

"Jiang Fan, something's happened." Su Yuyan's voice came through the receiver, speaking very quickly.

"explain."

"The State Administration of Radio and Television issued a rectification notice, stating that the script of 'Journey to the West' had serious copyright disputes. The production team's preparations were completely halted."

Su Yuyan was panting on the other end of the line.

"It wasn't just the broadcasting company that was in an uproar; the company itself was also in turmoil. We had invested 200 million yuan upfront, and the set was only half-built when the board of directors demanded that the emergency loss-cutting clause be activated."

"If the production crew can't resume work within a week, they have the right to forcibly take over my personal shares to pay off debts. That's a lot of power. Who did you offend?"

Jiang Fan mentally reviewed the current situation.

Gu Qingqiu's influence is indeed immense; she has a comprehensive blacklist, encompassing publishing, film and television, funding, and production.

This is intended to completely paralyze all his businesses within a single day.

"A woman."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"You keep the shareholders calm first, I'll handle the rest." Jiang Fan hung up the phone.

He turned around, and Fang Ma was standing under the porch watching him.

"Aunt Fang, something came up at the company, I have to go now."

Fang's mother patted Jiang Fan's arm.

"Go on with your work, drive carefully on the road."

Jiang Fan turned around and called out to Shen Nian.

Shen Nian sat under the old locust tree, stood up, and waved goodbye to the children.

Several little girls tugged at her skirt and wouldn't let go.

Shen Nian squatted down, patted their heads, said a few words of comfort, and quickly walked over.

The two got into the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and the car drove out of the orphanage's iron gate.

The car pulled up and stopped in front of Shen Nian's apartment building.

Jiang Fan turned to look at Shen Nian.

"Go upstairs. Zhou Yutong will keep you company while you stay home these next few days."

Shen Nian nodded.

Jiang Fan looked into her eyes.

"Remember, never open the door to any stranger. Even if they claim to be sent by me, call me first to confirm."

Shen Nian's face turned pale, and Jiang Fan reached out and ruffled her hair.

"Don't worry, the sky won't fall."

"Okay." Shen Nian got out of the car and walked into the building.

Jiang Fan restarted the car and drove towards Qitian Culture.

When I arrived at the company, the office area was in complete chaos.

An employee is tidying up his desk.

Several managers were smoking in the break room. No one spoke; the only sound was the clicking of lighters.

Jiang Fan walked in and pushed open the door to the president's office.

Song Siyi was on the phone, her voice a little hoarse.

She saw Jiang Fan and gave him a few instructions over the phone.

"The legal department has already negotiated with them." Song Siyi stood up, supporting herself on the table with both hands. "But the process will take at least half a month to complete."

Jiang Fan walked to the safe in the corner, entered the password, and took out the black ledger.

He turned to the pages about the Songjiang plot, walked to the photocopier, and pressed the button to make two copies.

Jiang Fan organized the papers and put them into two kraft paper document bags.

Li Cheng pushed open the door and walked in, covered in sweat. He had just rushed back from the printing factory.

"Brother Fan, everything's been arranged at the printing plant."

Jiang Fan handed over the file bag in his hand.

"Send one of these documents to the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and the other to the Provincial Department of Land and Resources."

Li Cheng took the document bag and glanced at it.

"Brother Jiang, Wang Jianping is dead, there's no way to verify anything."

Jiang Fan pulled out a chair and sat down.

"The interests involved in this land are too great. As long as the higher authorities send people down to investigate, the approval process for that land will be put on hold indefinitely."

Gu Qingqiu wanted that piece of land, but Jiang Fan was determined to prevent her from having it.

If the approval process gets stalled, Gu Qingqiu's plans will be disrupted.

An SSS+ level prey cannot be played along with; the initiative must be seized back.

After Li Cheng left with the file bag, Jiang Fan pulled Song Siyi over and pressed her into the boss's chair.

She was wearing a business suit, with two buttons undone at the collar, and her face showed signs of fatigue.

He stood behind her, his hands on Song Siyi's shoulders, kneading them.

"I'll hold up the sky if it falls, you go back to sleep."

Song Siyi looked up at Jiang Fan. The man in front of her hadn't panicked at all despite the huge incident.

This put her at ease.

-

Shanghai, Tan Palace Villa.

Gu Qingqiu sat on the sofa, with a set of purple clay teaware on the coffee table.

The female assistant pushed open the door and walked in, holding a folder in her hand.

"Ms. Gu, we've found out Shen Nian's information." The assistant placed the folder on the desktop.

Gu Qingqiu put down her teacup and opened the folder.

The first page features a photo of Shen Nian, clean and without makeup.

Her eyes were crystal clear, without any impurities.

Gu Qingqiu's fingers traced across the photograph, her fingertips pausing on Shen Nian's cheek.

The assistant reported from the side.

"Shen Nian comes from an ordinary family. She signed with Sheng Hai Media, but was later framed by Hua Xing Yu and made a scapegoat for plagiarism. She suffered from severe depression and attempted suicide twice."

Gu Qingqiu turned to the next page, which contained Shen Nian's hospital diagnosis records and medication list.

"Then Jiang Fan appeared. He wrote songs for Shen Nian, helped her win her lawsuit, and made her the champion of 'The Voice of China'."

Gu Qingqiu looked at the documents.

A girl who had fallen to the bottom was pulled out of the mire by a man and elevated to a pedestal.

No wonder Shen Nian hid behind Jiang Fan, her eyes filled with dependence when she looked at him.

Gu Qingqiu closed the folder.

"What's going on with Jiang Fan?"

"Qitian Culture has been shut down and its accounts frozen. The 'Journey to the West' production team has also stopped work. Several shareholders within Su Yuyan's Era Media are forcing Su Yuyan to step down."

The assistant paused for a moment.

"However, Jiang Fan sent copies of Qin Wanhao's ledgers containing information about the Songjiang plot to the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Provincial Department of Land and Resources. Our people have already intercepted the documents."

Gu Qingqiu leaned back on the sofa, trying to delay the approval process? That's a good idea.

"Arrange a car," Gu Qingqiu instructed her assistant. "I want to see Shen Nian."

In Shen Nian's apartment.

Zhou Yutong sat cross-legged on the sofa eating potato chips, while a variety show was playing on the TV.

"Sister Nian, Brother Fan told us not to go out. What happened?" Zhou Yutong stuffed a potato chip into her mouth and chewed it with a crunching sound.

Shen Nian shook her head and sat on the carpet, lost in thought.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Zhou Yutong put on her slippers, ran to the door, and looked out through the peephole.

A woman in a black suit stood outside the door, expressionless; she was Gu Qingqiu's female assistant.

"Who are you looking for?" Zhou Yutong asked through the door.

"We're looking for Miss Shen Nian. Miss Gu would like to invite her for tea."

Shen Nian walked over and recognized the woman through the peephole.

That morning at the crossroads, it was she who pointed a gun at Jiang Fan.

"I don't know any Miss Gu," Shen Nian replied through the door.

The female assistant said curtly, "Miss Gu is in her car downstairs. She said that if Miss Shen doesn't come down now, she'll shut down Jiang Fan's Qitian Culture forever and send Jiang Fan to jail."

"Miss Shen, if you don't open the door, I don't mind breaking it down."

Shen Nian bit her lower lip and turned to get her coat from the coat rack in the entryway.

"Sister Nian, Brother Fan said we can't go out!" Zhou Yutong grabbed Shen Nian's arm.

Shen Nian removed Zhou Yutong's hand.

"Yutong, this door won't stop her. If I don't go out, you'll get implicated, and Jiang Fan's situation will only get worse."

Shen Nian put on her coat.

"Call Jiang Fan right away, I'll be right back."

Shen Nian took out her phone, shared her location with Jiang Fan, opened the door, and went out.

The white Rolls-Royce Phantom was parked downstairs.

The female assistant walked in front and opened the back door of the car.

Shen Nian walked over, and there was a faint sandalwood scent in the carriage.

Gu Qingqiu sat inside.

She changed into a black turtleneck sweater, her long hair draped over her shoulders, and her gaze was extremely aggressive.

"Sit down." Gu Qingqiu looked at her.

Shen Nian sat in the car, her back ramrod straight.

The female assistant closed the car door and got into the passenger seat.

The car started and drove out of the residential area.

Gu Qingqiu turned her head to look at Shen Nian.

Up close, Shen Nian's skin has an excellent texture, and although she was nervous, her eyes did not dart away.

"What are you going to do to Jiang Fan?" Shen Nian looked directly into Gu Qingqiu's eyes.

Gu Qingqiu leaned forward, and an overwhelming sense of pressure instantly enveloped her. She reached out and pinched Shen Nian's chin.

"Whether Jiang Fan ends up well or poorly depends on your attitude."