Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

Penguin Hotel, Shenzhen, Suite 1301.

Sunlight pierced through the gap in the curtains, cutting a patch of light on the carpet.

Xu Qingya threw off the covers and got out of bed.

The moment his legs touched the ground, his knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed to his knees.

She braced herself against the bedside table, took a few seconds to regain her balance, and walked into the bathroom.

She turned on the tap, splashed water on her face, and looked up at the mirror on the sink.

The person in the mirror has firm skin with a luminous white glow.

The few faint dry lines at the corners of my eyes, left by years of rushing to events, have completely disappeared.

The red marks from last night were still on my collarbone and neck, but the long-standing fatigue deep within my body was completely gone.

Instead, there is a lightness that comes from the very core of one's being.

"Have you seen enough?"

A sound came from the bathroom doorway.

Jiang Fan leaned against the door frame, his upper body bare.

The muscle lines of the waist and abdomen are clearly defined under the overhead light.

Xu Qingya turned around and stared at him with a complicated expression.

"What did you do to me?"

Jiang Fan walked over, placed his hands on the edge of the sink, and pulled her into his arms.

"Maybe it's because I have a natural beauty effect."

Xu Qingya bit her lip, but before she could speak, Jiang Fan lowered his head and kissed her.

—————

Noon.

Li Cheng knocked on the door of the suite.

He was holding a folder in his hand, and had huge dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he had stayed up all night.

He stopped in his tracks as soon as he entered the room.

Xu Qingya was already dressed and sitting on the sofa drinking black coffee.

She wore gold-rimmed glasses, which concealed the lingering springtime glow in her eyes.

Li Cheng's eyelids twitched, and he forcefully looked away, pretending to be blind.

"The production team is quick on the uptake." Li Cheng slammed the folder on the coffee table and pulled up a chair to sit down.

"Times Media has filled the hole left by Huaxingyu. The list of new judges has just been announced."

Xu Qingya put down her coffee cup. "Who?"

"Su Yuyan".

Upon hearing this name, Xu Qingya frowned.

Jiang Fan opened the folder.

The first page is a photograph.

The woman wore a burgundy halter dress, had a beauty mark at the corner of her eye, and her smile had a captivating charm.

Su Yuyan is widely recognized in the industry as the "Queen of Fairies".

In terms of seniority and popularity, she is on par with Xu Qingya.

However, the two have completely opposite paths and have even fought over resources several times at various award ceremonies.

"Not only that," Li Cheng pointed to a line of small print at the bottom of the document, "the format for the finals has changed. It's now a real-time online voting system. Each person gets three votes. The judges will only provide commentary."

Li Cheng lit a cigarette and took a puff.

"Sheng Hai has fallen, and Lu Ming is finished. Times Media has gone all out this time, buying more than a dozen marketing accounts to promote Zhao Tianyu overnight, just waiting for the final to start tonight."

Li Cheng pointed to Su Yuyan's photo.

"She's like a catfish released by Times Media. Her job is to set the pace on the judging panel. As long as Zhao Tianyu doesn't underperform, Su Yuyan will definitely use the most flowery language to praise him to the skies. With online voting, the audience is easily guided by the professional judges."

Li Cheng stubbed out his cigarette and stared at Jiang Fan.

"Have you decided on your song yet? It's all about online voting, and it's all about how you can engage the audience live. Your previous songs were good, but they were all slow songs, which puts you at a disadvantage on a competitive stage."

"It's settled." Jiang Fan stood up.

A thought arose.

[System Shop Now Open]

Jiang Fan entered the following criteria into the search bar: dimensional reduction attack, dominance level, field explosion.

A row of golden song titles appeared on my retina.

He scrolled through several heavy metal rock tracks, his gaze eventually settling on a name in the center of the list.

Nocturne.

This song is a true monster in the Chinese music scene of the original planet.

When the Nocturne started playing and he went on stage to receive the award, it wasn't a joke; it was an absolute crushing victory.

The perfect fusion of classical piano and pop rap, the catchy melodies and avant-garde arrangements are enough to crush the world's pop music scene.

[Exchange Price: 200 Life Points]

[Redeem or not?]

"exchange."

[After deducting 200 life points, remaining life points: 9600]

A vast memory of musical arrangements, chord progressions, and advanced classical piano playing techniques flooded my brain instantly.

Jiang Fan leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and digested this massive flow of information.

His fingers tapped out a rhythm unconsciously on his leg.

Ten minutes later, he opened his eyes, picked up the paper and pen on the table, and began to quickly write down the score from memory.

The pen tip scratches against the paper, making a soft, rustling sound.

It was extremely fast, without any pause or thought process.

Li Cheng leaned over and took a look.

The page is covered with musical staffs, densely packed with notes and a complex arrangement.

"This..." Li Cheng stared at the sheet music, his pupils shrinking slightly. "Piano, guitar, cello, all crammed into one song? I've never seen this kind of arrangement before."

You'll see him tonight.

Jiang Fan drew the final note and handed over a few pages of paper.

"Go contact the band for rehearsal. This song needs a piano, guitar, bass, drums, and a cello."

Li Cheng took the sheet music, his hand trembling slightly.

"Piano and cello? Are you sure you want to make such a big fuss on a talent show stage?"

"Just do as I say." Jiang Fan picked up his coat and put it on. "Let's go to the rehearsal."

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

Backstage at the Pengcheng TV studio building.

Jiang Fan pushed open the door to the private lounge.

In the corridor, several staff members hurried by, pushing a row of clothes racks full of haute couture gowns.

The person leading the group was a woman dressed in a smart suit.

Su Yuyan.

The surrounding staff members made way for him and bowed their heads to greet him.

"Hello, Teacher Su."

"Hello, Sister Yan."

Su Yuyan didn't even glance at them. She stopped and looked at Jiang Fan, a smile playing on her lips.

"Jiang Fan, right?" Su Yuyan walked over, her high heels clicking on the tiles.

She carried a very strong scent of rose perfume.

Before you even get close, the smell has already filled the entire corridor.

"You sang 'The Lone Warrior' quite well."

She paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping over Jiang Fan from head to toe.

"But that song became popular because of social sentiment. The final competition is about hard skills."

She raised the information card in her hand and gently tapped Jiang Fan's chest with the corner of the card.

"Hey security guard, you've got such a huge amount of traffic, don't fall and die at the last step."

Jiang Fan glanced down at the spot she had pointed to, then looked up at her again.

A line of small golden characters, visible only to him, appeared above Su Yuyan's head.

[Target: Su Yuyan]

【Height: 167cm】

[Weight: 49kg]

[Appearance: 9.0/10]

[Compatibility: SS]

Jiang Fan's heart skipped a beat.

Like Xu Qingya, she is an SS-rank.

Is this system targeting a top star in the entertainment industry?

Su Yuyan turned and left, her skirt tracing a sexy arc in the air.

Jiang Fan watched Su Yuyan's retreating figure.

"Brother Li." Jiang Fan withdrew his gaze and pushed open the door to the lounge.

"What?"

"Tell the band to start rehearsals in half an hour."