Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

Zhou Hongtao sat in the back seat of the Maybach. His suit and tie were deformed by the security guard's tugging, and he ripped them off and threw them onto the leather seat next to him.

The carriage was quiet. Jiang Wei huddled on one side, barely daring to breathe.

Zhou Hongtao has been in the entertainment industry for over a decade, wielding immense power over the life and death of numerous celebrities.

Today, however, I stumbled in front of a young songwriter and was dragged out of the gate by two security guards.

He took out his phone, opened his contacts, and his finger stopped on the name "Young Master Jiang".

The young master of the Jiang family in Beijing, one of the three major capital backers of Xinghui Entertainment.

The phone rang for a long time before it was answered.

"Young Master Jiang." Zhou Hongtao put on a smile, his back involuntarily hunching over.

"explain."

It was noisy on the other end of the phone; the vibrations of the deep bass speaker mixed with a woman's laughter.

Zhou Hongtao recounted the story of Fanyin Studio.

"That Jiang Fan is shameless. He didn't even look at the 50 million check and called Jiang Wei trash to her face. He's slapping Xinghui in the face, and he's slapping you in the face too."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Hongtao leaned back in his seat.

The Jiang family's influence in the capital is deeply entrenched, and Jiang Yu is notoriously ruthless.

Jiang Fan has offended Jiang Yu; his life is over.

In Beijing, at the Heaven on Earth, a top-tier private club, the V8 room.

Jiang Yu leaned back in the middle of the sofa, his black shirt collar open, with a rising second-tier actress in his arms.

The actress, wearing a sundress, peeled a pink grape and offered it to his lips.

Jiang Yu opened his mouth and bit down.

"A songwriter, with a pretty bad temper." He pinched the actress's thigh. "Alright, I'll handle it."

The actress let out a coquettish voice and leaned closer to him.

Jiang Yu pulled out his contacts and dialed another number.

"Tianhu. There's a guy in Shanghai named Jiang Fan who runs a studio called Fanyin Studio. Go there and break his hand."

"Understood. Don't worry, Young Master Jiang."

Jiang Yu threw his phone on the table and didn't look at it again.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Office area on the top floor of a bathhouse in Shanghai.

Zhao Tianhu stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the night view of Shanghai.

He put down his phone and lit a cigarette.

Zhao Tianhu is now the vice president of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce. He started his business by working as a bouncer.

Although he has now gone out of business and is now doing legitimate work, he still has influence in the underground world.

Normally, Jiang Yu wouldn't even give him a second glance when he offered him money or women, but today he took the initiative to give him a task, which was a huge opportunity.

Breaking a songwriter's hands would be effortless for him.

Zhao Tianhu opened the office door.

"Call twenty brothers, bring your weapons." Zhao Tianhu exhaled a smoke ring. "Here's Fanyin Studio."

Thirty-five minutes later, five vans pulled up in front of Fanyin Studio's office building.

More than twenty burly men in black vests jumped off the bus, carrying solid steel pipes in their hands.

Zhao Tianhu walked at the front, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

Seeing this, the security guards on the first floor all huddled in their booths and didn't dare to show their faces.

In Fanyin Studio, Jiang Fan leaned back in his swivel chair, looking at his phone screen.

The screen showed a video call from Gu Qingqiu.

Gu Qingqiu had just finished showering and was wearing a wine-red silk low-cut nightgown, her hair still wet and loose on her shoulders.

The camera angle was low, revealing a large expanse of her fair skin at the neckline.

"The land in Songjiang has been approved, and the blueprints for the welfare home are ready." Gu Qingqiu leaned against the headboard and swiped a couple of times on her tablet.

She shifted her position, and the shoulder strap of her pajamas slipped down a bit.

When are you coming to visit?

Jiang Fan picked up his water glass and took a sip.

"Let's do it in a few days, I'm busy lately."

Gu Qingqiu bent her legs, and her silk pajamas slid down her thighs.

"How about we come to the manor tonight?" Gu Qingqiu's voice softened. "I'll be waiting for you."

A loud bang suddenly came from outside.

The explosion-proof glass door was hit simultaneously by several solid steel pipes, and glass shards were scattered all over the ground.

Jiang Fan's hand holding the water glass froze in mid-air.

On the other end of the video call, Gu Qingqiu also heard the noise.

"What's going on?" Gu Qingqiu sat up straight.

"Just a little bit of trash. I'll go take care of it." Jiang Fan hung up the video call and placed his phone face down on the table.

Jiang Fan opened the office door and walked out.

The hall was a mess.

Zhao Tianhu, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, led more than twenty men through the broken glass as they entered.

Zhou Yutong, the receptionist, was so frightened that she huddled under her workstation, covering her ears.

Li Cheng stood in the middle of the aisle, protecting Zhou Yutong.

"What are you doing!" Li Cheng shouted.

A burly man stepped forward and kicked Li Cheng in the stomach.

Li Cheng fell to the ground, clutching his stomach and curling up.

"Tell Jiang Fan to come out and face his death." Zhao Tianhu exhaled a smoke ring.

Several thugs started smashing things; the computer monitor was smashed, and documents were scattered all over the floor.

Jiang Fan walked out of the office, his gaze lingering on Li Cheng for two seconds.

He rolled up his sleeves twice.

Zhao Tianhu saw Jiang Fan come out and took the cigarette out of his mouth.

"You're Jiang Fan?"

"It's me." Jiang Fan slowly walked forward.

"You've got some nerve, daring to mess with even Young Master Jiang from Beijing." Zhao Tianhu sized him up. "Young Master Jiang has spoken; he wants your hands."

Zhao Tianhu waved his hand, and two thugs carrying steel pipes surrounded them.

"Do it, break his hand. I'll record a video and send it to Young Master Jiang." Zhao Tianhu took out his phone and started recording.

Two thugs raised steel pipes and brought them down on Jiang Fan's arm.

Jiang Fan stood still.

The steel pipe fell with a whoosh, ten centimeters away from Jiang Fan's arm.

Jiang Fan raised his hands and caught the two solid steel pipes steadily in his hands, one on each side.

The two thugs were stunned.

Jiang Fan pulled his hands back.

The two lost their balance and fell forward.

Jiang Fan raised his foot and kicked the two men in the chest twice in succession.

The two were sent flying backward, crashing into the desk behind them. They lay in the rubble, coughing up blood twice before losing consciousness.

Zhao Tianhu's hand, holding the phone, froze in mid-air.

In the video footage, the two henchmen were sent flying without even touching Jiang Fan's clothes.

Jiang Fan threw the steel pipe he had snatched onto the ground.

The steel pipe made a crisp sound as it hit the tiles.

"Heh, you've only practiced for a few days and you think you're so great? I have over twenty brothers here." Zhao Tianhu took a step back. "Come at me all at once."

More than twenty thugs raised steel pipes and surrounded Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan twisted his neck, and his bones cracked.

He walked towards the crowd.

The thug at the front smashed a stick at Jiang Fan's head.

Jiang Fan dodged to the side, and then grabbed the other person's wrist and bent it downwards.

The sound of bones breaking was heard, the thugs screamed, and the steel pipe fell to the ground.

Jiang Fan caught the steel pipe and struck another person in the ribs with a backhand.

He weaved through the crowd. With each swing of his steel pipe, someone would fall.

In less than three minutes, the hall was filled with people lying on the floor.

More than twenty professional thugs clutched their arms or thighs, howling in pain on the ground.

The steel pipe in Jiang Fan's hand was already bent and deformed.

He walked up to Zhao Tianhu.

Zhao Tianhu looked at his subordinates rolling on the ground, their legs shaking.

He stepped back, his back slamming against the wall, with nowhere left to retreat.

Jiang Fan reached out and grabbed Zhao Tianhu by the neck, pinning him against the wall.

Zhao Tianhu lifted his feet off the ground and tried desperately to pry Jiang Fan's fingers off, but he couldn't budge them at all.

"You just said you wanted my hands?" Jiang Fan looked at him.

"Boss Jiang...it's a misunderstanding." Zhao Tianhu squeezed out a few words.

Jiang Fan increased the pressure on his hands.

"Go back and tell that Young Master Jiang." Jiang Fan released his hand.

Zhao Tianhu slid down the wall and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

"He wants my hand? Let him take it himself." Jiang Fan looked down at him. "Take your men and get out."

Zhao Tianhu stood up, leaning against the wall, and called to his men who were still able to move on the ground. They helped each other walk out.

The hall returned to silence.

Li Cheng got up from the ground, clutching his stomach, and walked to Jiang Fan's side.

"Brother Jiang, are you alright?"

"It's alright." Jiang Fan glanced at the mess on the ground. "Have someone clean this up tomorrow. Make a list of the damaged items. I'll settle this score with them."

Zhou Yutong crawled out from under her workstation.

"Brother Fan, who are they?"

"They must have been hired by Xinghui Entertainment." Jiang Fan walked towards the office. "Let's leave work early today."

Jiang Fan returned to his office and picked up his phone from the table.

Gu Qingqiu sent a message.

"What happened? Do you need my help?"

Jiang Fan typed a reply.

"A few flies. They've already been swatted dead."

Gu Qingqiu replied instantly.

"I'll be waiting for you at the manor tonight. Don't break your promise."