Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

Tang Yingxue's phone screen lit up on the table, displaying the caller ID as "Assistant Li".

She ignored him and turned her head to find Jiang Fan's lips.

The phone kept ringing, the sound particularly jarring in the quiet recording studio.

Jiang Fan raised his hand and pressed down on her shoulder, pushing her outward by half an inch.

"Answer the phone first."

Tang Yingxue bit her lower lip, reluctantly reached for her phone, and slid her thumb to answer.

"explain."

She had barely uttered a word when Jiang Fan's fingers had already unbuttoned the second button of her white shirt.

The neckline spreads out to both sides.

Jiang Fan's hand slipped inside, his knuckles bent, and he squeezed it.

Tang Yingxue's breathing became erratic, and a nasal sound escaped her throat.

Her body went limp, and she only managed to stay upright by supporting herself on Jiang Fan's shoulders with both hands.

Jiang Fan did not pull his hand out; it remained in place, his fingertips moving slowly.

An anxious voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Chairman Tang, Xinghui Entertainment just held a press conference."

Tang Yingxue tried to calm her breathing and held the phone close to her ear.

Get to the point.

When she spoke, her voice was lower than usual and trembled slightly.

Jiang Fan glanced at her and tightened his grip.

Tang Yingxue gasped, her fingers gripping Jiang Fan's shirt fabric tightly.

"Star Shine announced that their new girl group will release their debut single in three days." The assistant spoke quickly, completely unaware of his boss's unusual expression. "They even bought trending topics, and all the press releases are aimed at putting us down. They're saying that Star Shine Girls is a useless group, and that Universal Entertainment can't even produce a decent song."

Tang Yingxue gritted her teeth and switched the phone to her other ear.

"Starshine... these guys really know how to pick their timing."

She spoke haltingly.

Jiang Fan's actions did not stop; on the contrary, he intensified them.

Tang Yingxue leaned back, trying to dodge.

Jiang Fan used his other hand to hold her lower back and pressed her back into place.

"Mr. Tang, what's wrong?" The assistant finally noticed something was amiss. "Your voice sounds off; are you sick?"

Tang Yingxue closed her eyes and rested her head in the crook of Jiang Fan's neck.

"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth, managing to squeeze out three words, "on... the treadmill."

Jiang Fan couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

Tang Yingxue glared at him fiercely and mouthed a curse.

"Chairman Tang, what do we do now? Xinghui is coming on strong this time, clearly aiming to climb to the top by stepping on Star Girls. Should our PR department issue a statement first?"

Tang Yingxue felt a little dizzy, and most of her attention was focused on Jiang Fan's hand.

She forced herself to remain rational and think of a solution.

If it had happened yesterday, she really wouldn't know how to handle it.

But now.

Tang Yingxue glanced at the audio file named "Calories" on the computer screen.

"No need to issue a statement." Tang Yingxue took a breath. "Notify... Starlight Girls, all members, to return to the company and stand by. Three days later, we...we'll also release a new song."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"Chairman Tang, do we have any new songs for them?"

"If I say yes... then yes." Tang Yingxue raised her voice, then softened it again. "Do as I... say. Also, contact the best choreography team in the country, and... quickly."

After hanging up the phone, Tang Yingxue tossed her phone back onto the table.

She wrapped her arms around Jiang Fan's neck.

"Star Shine wants to climb to the top by stepping on me. This song, 'Calorie,' has to be recorded within three days."

"Okay." Jiang Fan put his hands on her waist. "Since Chairman Tang is so career-minded, I have to cooperate."

His fingers slipped inside the hem of her skirt.

The recording studio has excellent soundproofing; you can't hear anything coming from inside.

More than an hour later.

The recording studio door was pushed open.

Jiang Fan came out first, holding a USB flash drive in his hand.

Tang Yingxue followed behind, her clothes already neatly arranged. Her white shirt was buttoned up tightly, her khaki trench coat was draped over her shoulders, and she was carrying a designer handbag.

Her hair was put back up in a bun, and apart from the lingering blush on her cheeks, she looked no different from the aloof female CEO she usually was.

The two walked through the corridor one after the other and arrived at the lobby.

At the front desk, Zhou Yutong was typing on her computer screen when she heard the sound of high heels and looked up.

"Brother Fan. President Tang," she called out.

Jiang Fan nodded, while Tang Yingxue maintained her haughty demeanor, walking past the front desk without glancing to the side.

Zhou Yutong's gaze fell on Tang Yingxue's legs.

She blinked.

When he came in, this Mr. Tang was clearly wearing a pair of black stockings, and they were the very expensive, ultra-thin kind.

She took a second look at them, calculating in her mind that those stockings must cost several thousand yuan.

But now.

Tang Yingxue's legs were completely bare; she wasn't wearing anything.

Her fair skin was directly exposed to the air, and she was wearing ten-centimeter high heels.

Zhou Yutong opened her mouth, then lowered her head and continued typing.

She decided to be more obedient and law-abiding at the company from now on.

Fan Ge's strength was beyond her imagination.

In the underground parking garage, Jiang Fan opened the car door and got into the driver's seat.

Tang Yingxue got into the passenger seat and threw her handbag on the back seat.

Jiang Fan started the car.

"Back to the hotel?"

Tang Yingxue shook her head.

"To the airport. I need to get back to Kyoto."

Jiang Fan glanced at her.

"Going this far?"

"Star Shine Entertainment has completely overstepped my bounds. This song, 'Calorie,' is the key to Universal's comeback. I have to go back and oversee things personally."

Jiang Fan didn't try to persuade her. He drove the car out of the underground parking garage and headed straight for Hongqiao Airport.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The entertainment industry's news these past few days has been entirely focused on Star Shine Entertainment.

Rumors were flying that Li had joined Star Overseas and taken away a lot of resources from Universal.

Star Shine Entertainment capitalized on the momentum, buying trending topics on Weibo every day to promote their new girl group.

The girl group is called "Shining Girls," which is comparable to Universal's "Star Girls."

The internet is full of negative comments about Universal Entertainment.

There is widespread anxiety within Universal Entertainment.

Tang Yingxue did not come forward to refute the rumors, nor did she issue any statement.

She stayed in the company's practice room for the past three days.

The five girls of Star Girls were forced to work non-stop by her, only sleeping four hours a day.

She hired the top domestic choreography team at a high price to create a set of catchy dance moves based on the rhythm of "Calories".

In the recording studio, the five girls shouted themselves hoarse.

Especially the line "Burn my calories," Tang Yingxue had the girl named Zhang Chaoyue record it hundreds of times until the realism of her voice being on the verge of cracking was fully presented.

8 PM on the third night.

Star Shine Entertainment's "Shining Girls" debut single, "Under the Starlight," was released on major music platforms on time.

With the overwhelming marketing campaign, the song's data soared into the top ten of the new song charts.

Li posted a long article on Weibo, recounting his creative process for writing the song, with every word hinting at the decline of Universal Entertainment.

Star Shine Entertainment's PR department has hired online trolls to stir up trouble in the comments section and try to crush Universal Music.

Nine o'clock in the evening.

Universal Entertainment's official Weibo account posted an update.

There is only one poster and one video link.

The poster features five girls from Star Girls dressed in JK uniforms against a bright red background.

The caption consisted of only four words: "Burn yourself."

The video links directly point to major music platforms and short video platforms.