Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

Jiang Fan walked in.

He wore a dark gold monk's robe, with the kasaya draped over his left shoulder and a bronze ring fastened at the collar.

His bald head gleamed faintly under the stage lights.

He walked over without posing, his pace neither fast nor slow.

The entire studio fell silent.

The hundreds of reporters in the audience paused for a moment, their hands holding cameras still.

Then--

The sound of camera shutters clicking away filled the air.

It was more than ten times more concentrated than when the four women came on stage at the same time.

"Holy crap, Jiang Fan shaved his head?"

"Is this a real shave or a wig?"

"Really, it was definitely a real shave. Look at the texture of the scalp."

A female reporter in the front row had her hand shaking. Not because she was bald.

It was the air about this man after he put on the monk's robes that was indescribable. In his early twenties, he stood there with an air of detached detachment, as if he had seen through the vanities of the world. His features were clear and bright, his posture upright, and his gait relaxed and composed.

They look like they've actually stepped out of a scripture.

Jiang Fan walked onto the stage and stood among the four women.

The moment he stood there, the focus of the entire image shifted.

Su Yuyan's silver suit, Xu Qingya's bright yellow royal dress, Tang Yingxue's pure white gauze dress, and Shen Nian's exotic dance costume—

The combined visual impact of four top-tier women was overshadowed by a monk's robe.

The audience went completely crazy.

"President Jiang! Why did you personally choose to play Tang Sanzang? Are you dissatisfied with the existing male actors?"

"Mr. Jiang, you have no prior acting experience. Isn't it too risky for you to play the male lead?"

"Was shaving your head required for the role or was it a personal choice?"

Jiang Fan took the microphone from the host.

"I wrote the script, I cast the characters, and I shaved my own head."

He paused for a moment.

"So only I can play the role of Tang Sanzang; no one else can."

There was a half-second silence in the audience.

Then a buzz of discussion erupted.

If someone else said that, it would be called arrogance.

In Jiang Fan's words—the reporters present thought about the quality of the original novel "Journey to the West," his songwriting skills, and his ability to make Shen Nian famous.

That does seem to make sense.

Yang Shuhua sat on the director's seat and took a sip of water from her thermos.

She muttered to herself, "This kid has a better sense of the camera than any of the professionally trained actors I've ever worked with."

On stage, the questions became increasingly pointed.

A male reporter wearing glasses raised his hand and stood up.

"President Jiang, I have a sensitive question to ask."

The noise level dropped a notch. Sensitive questions are what reporters love to ask, but what organizers dread most.

"There are four actresses standing on the stage, all top-tier figures in the industry. There are rumors online that your relationships with some of them go beyond mere professional collaboration. How do you respond to this?"

All cameras were pointed at Jiang Fan.

Su Yuyan's smile froze for a fraction of a second.

If you don't answer this kind of question well, tomorrow's top three trending topics will all be negative.

Jiang Fan looked at the reporter and switched the microphone from his left hand to his right.

"What kind of relationship are you asking about?"

The reporter adjusted his glasses: "It's... the kind that goes beyond work."

"My relationship with them is very simple," Jiang Fan said in a tone as casual as chatting with friends over dinner. "They are the actresses I chose. As for those rumors online—"

He paused.

Do you think Tang Sanzang would get together with a female demon?

The audience laughed.

Several reporters laughed so hard they slapped the edge of the table.

Xu Qingya almost couldn't hold back and her lips twitched.

Tang Yingxue rolled her eyes. Strictly speaking, the Guanyin she played wasn't a demon, but when grouped together, there was no way to argue against it.

Shen Nian breathed a sigh of relief. This answer cleverly framed all the relationships within the scope of the "production crew," leaving no room for criticism.

Only Su Yuyan's lips twitched slightly.

She played the White Bone Demon.

The fairies among fairies.

Jiang Fan's words essentially cemented her image as a "fairy."

She made a mental note of it.

Jiang Fan handed the microphone back to the host, and the Q&A session of the press conference ended.

Next is a group photo of the entire cast and crew.

Hou Jinlai, dressed in the golden chainmail armor of the Monkey King, wearing a phoenix-winged purple-gold crown, and carrying a prop golden cudgel, stood to Jiang Fan's right.

He was half a head shorter than Jiang Fan, but his lean and agile physique emanated from his very bones, making him perfectly suited to the monkey.

While the photographer was adjusting the camera position, Hou Jinlai leaned over and whispered something.

"Brother Jiang, that staff routine you showed at the martial arts school the other day, my dad tried to practice it for three days but couldn't get it right. He told me to ask you when you're going to teach me."

"After you turn on the machine, I'll teach you for an hour every day after work."

"Okay." Hou Jinlai nodded, his eyes darting around. "By the way, my dad also told me to ask who your master is."

"Self-taught."

Hou Jinlai glanced at him.

He didn't ask any more questions. Whether he believed it or not, if the other person didn't want to talk about it, he had no right to press them for an answer.

The group photo session ended.

The reporters gradually left, and the staff began to dismantle the stage.

Jiang Fan had just stepped down the stairs when his phone vibrated.

News about Gu Qingqiu.

Gu Qingqiu: I watched the live stream. Tang Sanzang's cassock is nice. How about I wear it next time?

Gu Qingqiu: Also, Shen Nian's skirt was too short today. Tell her to be more careful in the future.

Jiang Fan did not reply.

He put his phone back in his pocket and briefly told Yang Shuhua about joining the crew next week.

My phone vibrated again.

Gu Qingqiu: Boss Jiang isn't replying to my messages? Then I'll go talk to Shen Nian tonight.

Jiang Fan took out his phone and started typing.

Jiang Fan: If you don't behave, next time it won't be your hands that are tied up.

There was silence on the other end for about ten seconds.

Gu Qingqiu: Then come over tonight.

Jiang Fan locked the screen.

This woman is getting harder and harder to manage. Last time I tied her up for a whole night, but instead of calming down, she became even more aggressive.

Li Cheng ran over, clutching his phone, his face beaming with excitement.

"Brother Jiang! The press conference is generating a lot of buzz! It's got two spots in the top five trending topics on Weibo!"

He shoved his phone in front of Jiang Fan.

First post: #Jiang Fan shaves his head to play Tang Sanzang# - Reads exceeded 200 million in 40 minutes.

Article 5: #Will Tang Sanzang get together with a female demon?# — The comments section is already in an uproar.

Jiang Fan picked up his phone and scrolled through the comments section a couple of times.

"I hereby declare that from this day forward, Jiang Fan is the Tang Monk in my heart."

"Bald guy is so handsome! Oh my god, what an amazing monk!"

"Xu Qingya playing the Queen of the Women's Kingdom? No wonder Tang Sanzang is tempted! Director, are you sure this show will pass censorship?"

"To be honest, when I saw Jiang Fan walk out in a monk's robe, I believed it. This guy must have been a monk in his past life."

Jiang Fan returned the phone to Li Cheng.

"Have you finished editing the short video footage for 'Goodbye Mr. Loser'?"

Li Cheng's expression quickly switched from excitement to work mode.

"I've cut fifteen clips, and I'll start releasing them on various platforms tonight."

"Increase the budget to 20 million. Focus our efforts on Douyin and Weibo. The publicity must be at its peak in the three days before the Spring Festival tickets go on sale."

"clear."

As Jiang Fan walked backstage, a hand reached out from the side and grabbed the sleeve of his monk's robe when he reached the corner.

Xu Qingya leaned against the wall, still wearing that bright yellow queen's gown.

She didn't say anything, but just tugged at his sleeve and looked down at him for two seconds.

"You looked quite good when you came out today. I don't have any engagements today, come to my place tonight."

After saying that, she let go of her hand, turned around and left, her bright yellow skirt disappearing at the end of the corridor.