Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

At eight o'clock in the evening, Jiang Fan rang Xu Qingya's doorbell.

Chen Lan opened the door.

When she saw Jiang Fan, it was like seeing a savior; she pulled him inside.

"Jiang Fan, you've finally arrived!"

Xu Qingya sat on the sofa, still wearing the long dress she wore during the photoshoot, holding a tablet in her hand, on which was Su Yuyan's Weibo post.

She got up and walked towards Jiang Fan, took the coat he had taken off, and casually draped it over the hanger.

Chen Lan watched this scene with disbelief, finding it hard to believe that Xu Qingya could do such a thing.

Jiang Fan walked to the sofa and sat down, picking up the tablet from the table.

The screen displays promotional images for the song "Longing" and rapidly scrolling real-time data.

"That traitor Chen Weiyang." Chen Lan, having regained her senses, quickly recounted the events.

"He gave our marketing plan for 'Red Bean' to Times Media. Now Su Yuyan's 'Longing' has been released ahead of schedule, and its theme and style are almost identical to ours. Once our 'Red Bean' is released, it will definitely be labeled as 'plagiarism' and 'copycatting'!"

Chen Lan became increasingly agitated as she spoke: "The worst part is that this song, 'Longing,' is of decent quality! Chen Weiyang heard the demo of 'Red Bean,' and he imitated its style! Now the PR department is asking us if we should urgently change the promotional plan, or simply postpone it!"

Jiang Fan scrolled through the screen, calmly looking at the comments section.

"Let me hear it first."

Jiang Fan clicked on the preview link for "Longing".

Chen Lan stared at him nervously, and Xu Qingya also subconsciously held her breath.

As the melodious prelude began, Su Yuyan's voice was as enchanting as ever, carrying just the right amount of sorrow, and her singing skills were impeccable.

Jiang Fan listened to the whole thing from beginning to end.

He put down the tablet, his face expressionless.

"How is it?" Chen Lan was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. "Doesn't it look very similar? We're now..."

"It's similar." Jiang Fan interrupted her, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Chen Weiyang's imitation is indeed very similar."

He turned to Xu Qingya and said, word by word, "A top-notch craftsman replicated a priceless heirloom. The shape and materials were 99% identical. What a pity—"

Jiang Fan paused for a moment.

"He only copied the surface; he didn't steal the soul."

Chen Lan was stunned for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"The soul of 'Red Bean' is languor and detachment; it's singing out a kind of carefree 'nothing special' attitude towards the deep longing. This requires the singer to have absolute control over the song." Jiang Fan leaned back on the sofa, relaxed.

"Su Yuyan has a very good singing ability, but Chen Weiyang doesn't understand 'Red Bean'. He thought it was an ordinary sad love song, so his version of 'Longing' was just an imitation."

Chen Lan was confused, but she grasped the key point: "But the audience doesn't understand these things! They just think the two songs are very similar, and whoever comes out first is the original!"

"Then let them compete."

Jiang Fan's answer made Chen Lan think she had misheard.

"What?"

"The publicity plan doesn't need a single word changed." Jiang Fan picked up his water glass and took a sip. "Aren't they trying to grab attention? We'll give them a boost."

He looked at Chen Lan.

"From now on, let the publicity team get involved and intentionally or unintentionally guide public opinion to completely link Xu Qingya's 'Red Bean' and Su Yuyan's 'Longing' together. Say that this is a style showdown between the two divas after three years, and a peak battle in the Chinese music scene."

"Are you crazy?!" Chen Lan exclaimed. "Isn't this just blaming yourself for 'following the trend'?"

"Following the trend?" Jiang Fan chuckled. "Once 'Red Bean' is released, the audience isn't stupid. Once they've heard the original, they'll find the imitation boring."

"This is called public execution."

Four words, spoken lightly.

Chen Lan stared at Jiang Fan's face, opened her mouth, then closed it again.

She suddenly realized she couldn't keep up with the conversation.

Having worked as a talent agent for over a decade, she has witnessed countless crisis management situations.

No one ever told her to add fuel to the fire and tear the battlefield to its maximum extent.

Xu Qingya listened in silence the whole time.

At this moment, she was looking at Jiang Fan's profile.

This man always seems to have a next card to play.

Her heart immediately calmed down.

"However, just one song, 'Red Bean,' and 'Legend,' isn't enough," Jiang Fan said, putting down his water glass and changing the subject.

"There...there's more?" Chen Lan felt like her brain was about to explode.

"Chen Weiyang thought this was a one-on-one fight. So we told him that we were having a group fight."

Jiang Fan stood up and walked to the white upright piano in the corner of the living room.

He lifted the piano lid, and his slender fingers landed on the black and white keys.

"Qingya, your new album doesn't have any Cantonese songs, right?"

Xu Qingya paused for a moment, then nodded.

She did plan to include a Cantonese song in her new album, but hadn't found a suitable one yet.

With the addition of Cantonese songs, sales in the Greater Bay Area can increase by 30%.

Jiang Fan did not speak again.

A thought arose.

[System Shop: "Easily Hurt Woman" - A Cantonese Classic, S-Level Love Song]

[Exchange Price: 200 Life Points]

[Redeem or not?]

"exchange."

The melody, lyrics, and arrangement structure instantly took shape in my mind.

As Jiang Fan pressed down, a melody even more poignant and lingering than "Red Bean" flowed through the quiet living room.

The melody was captivating; with just one intro, it held you spellbound.

Then, Jiang Fan spoke.

He sang the first line of Cantonese lyrics in a deep, grainy voice.

"As people grow drunk, the night deepens—"

"How close we are at this moment—"

"My thoughts seemed to be shaking—"

"The contradictions are also deeper—"

Xu Qingya tightened her grip on the armrest.

If "Red Bean" represents a detached view of the world, then this song represents the descent into the trap of love.

Two completely different, yet equally extreme, states of mind for women.

Chen Lan was completely stunned, her mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.

Jiang Fan stopped playing, closed the piano lid, and walked back to the sofa.

"This song is called 'Easily Hurt Woman'."

He looked at Xu Qingya with intense gaze.

"Tomorrow, we'll rush to record this song. For promotion, we'll use the concept of 'a dual main track in Mandarin and Cantonese'."

"They tried to take us down with a song, so we retaliated with a royal flush."

Jiang Fan's voice wasn't loud, but every word carried immense weight.

"I want the entire Chinese music scene to know that the songs I, Jiang Fan, write for you are so good that no one else even has the right to imitate them."

Xu Qingya looked at him.

Many images flashed through my mind.

The man in the underground parking garage wearing a security guard uniform, the man directing her singing in the recording studio, the man playing the piano on the final stage.

Now, this man is sitting on her sofa, casually pulling out a song that could rewrite the entire album.

Xu Qingya's eyes reddened.

She stood up, and to Chen Lan's astonishment, grabbed Jiang Fan's wrist and dragged him into the bedroom.

With a "bang".

The bedroom door was locked from the inside.

Chen Lan stood alone in the living room, looking at the closed door, then back at the piano, her mind blank.

She only came to her senses when she heard Xu Qingya's soft breathing coming from the bedroom.

She picked up her phone and sent a message to the PR director.

"All plans remain unchanged, but we'll intensify our efforts to get the hashtag #TwoDivaStyleBattle# to the top of the trending topics!"